Children of the Night
by Raiden4019
Summary: It was supposed to be easy. Get in, kill a couple vampires, get out. That was before I ran into this little runt of a vampire. SOMEHOW, he managed to fight me to a stalemate (cheapshot!). For SOME REASON I chose not to kill him. And out of the blue, he asks to work for us. We don't know what he's after, or why he's here. But when this is over, I AM GOING TO MURDER THE LITTLE SHIT!
1. Birth of a Vampire

**Hellsing:**

"Children of the Night"

**New York**

**October 6, 2010, 1:10 AM**

**2 years ago...**

_Blood... Blood everywhere... I'm lying in it, I feel it on my mouth, I can feel it draining out of my body from the gash across my torso. My own blood mixing with theirs... the blood of my mother and father... I see them lying before me. I try to move to them, to reach them. One of those things has my mother, his jaws around her neck. I can see the sharp teeth digging into her neck, while those red eyes look her over with lust and hunger. She looks at me with tears in her eyes._

_"Hey, this one's not half bad!"_

_"Tastier than that runt lying there."_

_They kick me, beat me, laugh at me. What I wouldn't give to hurt them, to make them pay..._

_"No!..cough...cough...LEAVE HIM ALONE!" My mother screams, she's trying to fight, to save me... even after going through so much pain... but there's nothing I can do to save her... Why? Why am I so weak?_

_"Shut your mouth, bitch!" I watch in horror as his claws rake her open, she falls to the floor, dead. Her lifeless eyes are still open. Those monsters... Those goddamned monsters!_

_"Oh, crap! I think the big man's coming!"_

_"SHIT! If he finds what we did we're fucked!"_

_"Let's get outta here, man!"_

_Cowards... Running away... You dare murder my family and run away!? I'll hunt you down, I'll kill you all, I'll make you PAY for this!?_

_My body grows weak, I'm losing consciousness... My father barely has any life in him. He tried to fight them off. I tried to help him. Now we're both going to die here? God, why? Why has this happened? Was it something I did? What could I have done that was so horrible, so unforgivable, to deserve this?_

_"Danny..."_

_He's speaking... I can barley make him out, it's getting dark..._

_"It's okay... don't be afraid... be strong, Danny... be... strong..." His eyes have closed..._

_Father? No... How... Why... Who... Who caused this? Who would DARE do this!? I hear the sounds of more slaughter outside. Were they not satisfied with my family!? How many more must they kill!?_

_A figure stands before me... Dark cloak... red armor...what is this... this pain in my neck... strange taste of iron at my lips...?_

_Strength... anger... _**_hunger_**_... "You will not die today. You have not earned that right."_

_"Who... are you!?" The man standing before me stares with cold, emotionless eyes... the same eyes as those other monsters._

_"I am the same as they... And the one who is responsible for the death of your family."_

_"...Why... Why did you do it!? WHY DID YOU DO IT YOU BASTARD!?" I'm trying to stand, but I can only get to my knees._

_"They were an obstacle in my path, and I was hungry. Don't take to heart, it's in the nature of Vampires to kill humans."_

_"V-...Vampire?"_

_I can feel the darkness radiating from his form. This...thing... is no human..._

_"Yes. And you, my little 'sheep', are just another meal. A continuation of the cycle of life and death. Not that that matters now. It's better for you to just give up, to just forget and fade away into darkness." He turns away. Will he run to?_

_"...You _**_coward_**_..." He stops._

_"You think... You can just come in here, kill my _**_family_**_, and tell me to let it go!?" The blood is flowing towards me... The blood is power... I call upon this power to avenge my family._

_"I won't..." My wounds are healing up, my muscles are getting stronger, the power burning through every fibre of my being..._

_"I won't forget..." All the spilled blood is flowing into me, nourishing me, strengthening me..._

_"I will _**_never_**_ forgive...!" I can feel the power crackling through the air, the blood leaps, burning like demonic hellfire..._

_"And I will not stop, UNTIL ALL OF YOU ARE _**_DEAD!_**_"_

_I lose myself, and all sense of control. My head rears back, I let loose an earth-shaking roar to the heavens, my declaration of war. I can feel my strength growing, my wounds healing... my fangs sharpening... The clear path was now lost... And I entered the Inferno..._

**London, Hellsing HQ**

**July 3, 2012 8:45 PM**

**Present Day...**

_"...The pursuit of the mysterious 'Angel Dust', murderer continues, as FBI agents try to track down the mysterious cloaked killer, who has New York citizens fearing for their lives, but it is not it's citizens who should be afraid, so much as it's criminals. First seen in 2011 at the sight of the infamous 'Russian Dinner Party Bombing', a heavy hit against the Russian Mafia's top leaders and central network in Manhattan, The infamous 'Angel of Death' continues to terrorize the criminal underground of the Island. The killer seems to be exclusively targeting big-shot criminals and serial murder suspects, all with very strange habits. They are never seen in public and seem to live for the New York 'night life', as it were. Stranger still is the killers calling card: He leaves only piles of dust in his wake, each of which appears to be the ashes of his victims, though how the killer is able to perform the required burnings in such short time span without anyone else noticing, has police and FBI agents baffled..."_

Integra Hellsing paused the T.V. This was a case that she had been following for a while now. It wreaked of a vampire infestation, that much was obvious. The dust present at each killing was proof enough. What intrigued Integra the most, however, was this vampire-hunting vigilante who had apparently massacred these undead abominations. Hollywood rarely got anything right in regards to vampire weaknesses, and the fact that they even existed wasn't common knowledge. The fact that someone has been launching a one-man crusade against these beings, and doing so well, was unusual. And in a way, disconcerting.

"If you want, I could always track him down myself."

Integra didn't have to look to know that Alucard had entered the room. She could feel his presence as he fazed through the walls, and into her office. He had always had a habit of intruding on her at just the right moment to try and toy with her, tempt her, play with her emotions. It was a sort of game they played, servant pushing the master's boundaries, seeing if she will break. But she never did. No, she needed to keep a firm leash on her "pet", as she had for years.

"That won't be necessary, Alucard. Though admittedly, given our current situation, it is a tempting offer to investigate this 'Angel of Death'."

"Really? And what situation would that be?"

She took out a cigar from the tin sitting on her desk, and lit it. The air soon became heavy with the scent of cigar-smoke.

"It seems that the Americans have requested our help with this one. There's a coven of vampires brewing on the East Coast of America, New York, specifically. This 'Angel Dust' murderer case has put the spotlight on it. If nothing else the investigation has proven that a large number of vampires reside in New York's streets and skyscrapers. The fact that these vampire killings have been occurring in such close proximity to one another suggests an entire coven of vampires. I want you to go to New York City, investigate, locate, and eliminate the coven stationed there."

Upon hearing his orders, a sinister smile crept upon the old Nosferatu's face. He was excited, no, **enthralled** at the prospect of a new mission.

"And what about this vampire-hunter?"

"He is not our main concern... However, if you come into contact with him, I give you permission to defend yourself, and to apprehend him if you feel it necessary."

Before exiting the room, Alucard took a bow, "As you wish, my master."

Darkness. The bane of light, of life, of existence itself. Feared by humanity for good reason. It robs them of sense, renders them weak. It confuses, it intimidates, it kills. It is a being to be respected and feared. But the boy, standing in that apartment room, shrouded in darkness, did not mind it. It was his greatest ally. It protected him, shielded him from unfriendly eyes. It allowed him to learn things about others without them noticing. It was his greatest weapon, as well. He could disappear, and reappear at well, catching people by surprise. He could use it confuse, and deceive others, and gain an advantage. But most of all, he could impose fear. **Fear**. It was always necessary to impose fear on his victims. It made them incapable of reason or logic. It made his opponents physically weak. Vulnerable.

And now, even the masters of the night themselves, those creature who relied on the darkness just as much as he, feared him as well. For though he was like them, he had become something else. Something more sinister. That which even the immortal fear...

**Death**. He had killed so many, men, women... and **vampires** alike. They always feared death, or else, why take up the offer? To become immortal, forever young, strong, as though they were **gods**... But they were far from such glory. They were locusts. They were a plague. And they feared death even more. Once their confidence in their power shatters, once they come to grips with the fact that even after becoming what they have become, that they are still weak, still frail, still...**mortal**... Oh, the sweet ecstasy of that fear. Watching them completely break... and then driving that cold silver blade through their hearts... Pure. **Bliss**.

His uniform consisted of black combat boots, black combat fatigues, a bullet-proof vest, and dark gloves. His cloak had tattered ends, and came up over his head in a hood. His mask was of a black leather/cotton, and looked like the face of Death itself. The image may have been a bit melodramatic to the unknowing eye, but to the eyes of the monsters, it made the terror all the more real. Now, the hunter is the hunted. **Death**, now walks these streets. The figure looked himself over in a mirror, as he had done countless times.

"_Tonight, they will know suffering,"_ He thought to himself.

_"Tonight, they will know fear. Tonight... They will _**_die_**."

He moved to his window, and leaped into the sky, gliding like a ghost over the buildings, till he came to rest on a tall, gothic structure, the tower of some Catholic Church no doubt. Perched on one of the gargoyles, he waited, and listened. Gunshots... knifing... a lullaby... Wine glasses... A snarl, a scream. There! His eyes set on the ally, not 50 meters from his position. Silently, he descended...

"No, please, GET AWAY!" The woman screamed. Never had she been more scared for her life. She had just been walking to get back home from the grocery store, when three men ambushed her, and pushed her into the ally. No, not men. Men didn't have **fangs**.

"Aw, what's the matter, baby?" The one sneered.

"We just want to have a little fun, that's all." The other one laughed.

"Maybe after we're done, you can join us for a **blood-bath!**" The last one roared, grabbing a hold of the woman and opening his jaws in a horrendous laugh, showing rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth. The woman was paralyzed. She was going to die here. She was really going to die here.

_Help... Someone... Anyone... Please...!_

A dark mist rolled in, and the temperature seemed to drop several degrees. The vampire suddenly felt very cold, a sensation he hadn't felt for many decades. Sensing danger, he and his comrades whipped around to see that a thick, heavy fog was rolling into the ally, and seemed to block there path. Then came the _voice_.

**"Those who are wicked to others..."** As the voice, haunting, deep, and terrifying, like rolling thunder and a serpentine hiss combined, spoke out, parts of the missed seem to turn to black smoke, and come together to form the shape of a skull, under a black hood and cloak.

**"...have only ****_Death_****, to look forward too."** The figure, now fully formed, stepped towards the vampires, the mist following him at his feet.

" FUCK! It's that damn Dust killer!"

"Don't just stand there you fucking morons!" The leader, still clutching the woman bellowed.

"Shoot him! Kill him! KILL HIM!"

They pulled out miniature SMGs, and opened fire. The cloaked figure didn't even seem to flinch. He just stood there, taking every bullet... until he seemed to melt away... his form, as each bullet passed through him, twisted and faded, and became as smoke. Soon all that was left was smoke, that merged into the mist. The vampires stopped firing, still wide-eyed and paranoid.

"Did... did we get 'im?"

The vampire to the right and front of the leader was answered by a clawed hand going through his back, and a hand wrapping around his heart. The tips of the claws came out the front, but not the whole hand. The heart was not pierced. The figure lifted him into the air, while his comrades backed away in fear.

"WHAT...! HOW THE FUCK!?"

**"Wretched creature. Burn in the eternal fires."**

Crushing his hand around the heart, he ripped it from the monster. As it cried out in agony, blood spilling from it's chest and mouth, the other two watched in horror as he decayed, rotted, and turned to dust... al in the span of a few seconds.

"YOU... YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" The second one opened fire, but the figure grabbed his arm, and wrenched it off with ease. Yelling and screaming, bleeding intensely with only one arm he moved back, only to be grabbed by the neck.

**"I am the Final Destination. You cannot escape your ****_fate_****."**

"What... The... HELL ARE YOU...!?"

Without a single word, he tore his head from his body, the spinal cord limply hanging down. He tossed his prize aside, and turned on the final monster.

"No... No, no, NO! STAY BACK! I WARN YOU! I'LL TEAR HER FUCKING THROAT OUT I SWEAR TO GOD!

Thefigure was undeterred. He advanced ever further, as the panicking monster moved back with his captive meal.

"YOU SONOVABITCH I WARN YOU! I'll KILL HER! I'LL...!"

**"NO."**

A silver chain wrapped around the last vampire, around his hands and arms, binding them to his back, and around his neck. They squeezed with force enough to break the bones in the arm, but not the neck. He struggled as he was dragged over, like a captured insect trying to escape the hand that holds it... futile.

**"You. Will. NOT."**

As he stared Death in the face, he noticed that behind the mask, were a pair of glowing red eyes.

"Why... What the... fuck are you!?"

**"I am the Judge, Jury, and Executioner, of the entire undead race. And my verdict: Is ****_Death._****"**

A sickening _crack_ was heard, as the vampire's neck was snapped. The chains left burn marks on the vampire's flesh as it was released, and dropped to the ground. Before it could regenerate, a sliver blade from the figure's wrist pierced it's heart, and he too, turned to dust.

**"Amen."**

The woman, looked up at this new savior, in shock. Never had she seen such ferocity, such power, such mercilessness. He looked at her, and advanced toward her. She tried to get up and run, as fear overtook her. But as her eyes met his, she became relaxed, almost...tranced? He took her up in his embrace, and whispered to her.

**"Sleep now. This nightmare has ended. Death shall not come for you on this day, though your soul is a precious one to possess. Let this night fade into your memories, and may you think on it as but a dream, and nothing more. Tonight, sleep well, and peacefully, and may pleasant dreams whisk you away from this cold, dead night."**

She lost consciousness, as she was instructed. Hypnosis was a natural trick in a vampire's arsenal, but it was tricky business. There's no telling how long the effect would last. A few years, or a few hours, he didn't know. Hopefully, she would not be driven mad by tonight's events. He leapt into the air, and flew to her home, having peered into her mind. Placing her in her bed, he marched out into the night once more.

"_There's still to many,"_ He thought to himself.

_" I can't keep this 'Dark Hero' act up much longer. The police are making more connections. Soon they'll learn about my connection to the Russian massacre, and when that happens, they'll find out about my human identity. I have to kill off this coven as quickly as I can, and find a way out of the country. I don't have much time left. Mother, Father..."_

The JFK airport was all but empty when the plane from London arrived. Several secret-service agents flocked around the plane, expecting the new guest. The door opened, revealing a tall man, in a red trench-coat, and a large, red fedora. He wore brown high boots, and orange/red sunglasses, despite it being nighttime.

"You are the one the folks at British Intelligence sent?"

"Yes. My luggage is in my cabin."

"We'll handle it for you, sir."

The "man" smiled a toothy, almost wolfish grin.

"Excellent. Now drive me to the hotel I'm to be staying at. I wish to get discussions and debriefings out of the way as quickly as possible."

"Uh... Yes sir, of course, right away sir!"

Several agents entered the plane as Alucard exited. He took a moment to admire the moonlit sky. He inhaled the night air, slowly, savoring the many "tastes" it held.

"What a marvelous night. Such a lively city, so perfectly mixed with the taste of blood and death. Yes... This will prove to be a most interesting... 'vacation'."

He smiled to himself, as a long black limousine pulled up. The agents loaded his "luggage"(Luggage being his long, black coffin), and Alucard stepped in. The car drove off into the night.

The stage was set.

* * *

**A/N: Hello my faithful readers! This is chapter one of my OC centered story, one that I have been wanting to produce for a while now, but hey, Creative Writing 12 takes up a lot of time. Now, a bunch of things I want to clear up: Yes, I take my sweet time doing things. Yes, I do value my readers, few though they are. I will always try to deliver as best I can. Now, if this story seems a bit Batman/Phantasm/Spawn-ish... Well, that's because I got a lot of Inspiration from them. However, Danny will not be vigilante hero in a costume for long. This is only something to set up the initial stages of his character, before he goes into major progression. I might do a prologue after I'm done the main story, but for the most part the blanks will be filled in via flashbacks and good ol' fashioned character development!** **Also, while this story may seem dark and grim, It will get better/lighter. I intend to have Danny start out as a bit of an angsty hard-ass but will later become a more happy, open young man, despite all the shit he goes through(and oh, do I intend to torture him :3 ). Look for some nice humor in the chapters to come!**

**Now, as far as story canon goes, I intend to follow the "Metropolis-Kid-method", which is to stay as ambiguous in terms of "When" in the Hellsing Canon as possible. This means I'm likely to change a few things to keep certain people alive because I have need and/or use for them in the story. This will take place after Millennium's defeat, after Alucard's disappearance, but I'm shortening it considerably to keep it modern(Had I kept it at the original 30 years, we'd be in 2030 something, and I can't do the future. No imagination). Integra will have an eye missing, rocking the "Big Boss" look. For character development purposes, I'm gonna introduce a bit of a Deus Ex and say that Anderson didn't die( he didn't become dust, but was incapacitated for the rest of the series), and has been revived. I need him because I have a plan for him and Danny(NO YAOI!). However, Walter and Pip are dead and are gonna stay that way... which isn't to say they won't make an appearance ;).**

**So, yeah! Review, comment, Fav if you want, and have a good one!**


	2. Following the Trail

**Chapter 2**

New York City. At face value, a city of wealth, power, and the living symbolic picture of the "American Dream."

They don't call it a **dream** for nothing.

It was mid afternoon, four o'clock to be precise. The sun was just starting to sink. This was not a comfortable time for the visiting nosferatu. Granted, sunlight was no longer a problem of lethal concern to the former count... but nonetheless, it was still a discomfort. Alucard walked down the bustling city streets, people taking more than a few double-glances as they passed him. It was only natural, he was a pretty imposing figure. But they were not his concern. No, his objective was to find and eliminate the vampire infestation, and keep these dreamers ignorant. As it were, he was pursuing a new lead that could prove beneficial to the case.

* * *

**Flashback: Last Night, Briefing**

_The conference in the hotel's private suite consisted mainly of secret service, FBI, and high-level CIA agents. The one in charge opened the briefing by handing Alucard a large brown envelope, which contained information in regards to recent vampire "sightings." All of them centered around one particular individual: New York's "Angel of Death."_

_"As you can see, we've had our eye on this bizarre matter for some time. Over 78 killings over the course of the past few years, as early as January 26, 2011. All killed, turned to dust, and no blood. Curious for a mere serial murderer." _

_The CIA agent, designated as Wilson, explained the situation in detail. Alucard looked over each sheet, taking interest in the photos from each crime scene._

_The FBI agent, hesitantly, spoke up, "Th-Though the first public sighting of the accused killer didn't occur until Christmas that year, we suspect that he has been operating long before we ever took notice of him. And he may very well be after the same people you...and the boys in black over there, are after."_

_"Tch," Alucard scoffed, "Same _**_people?_**_ I think not. What we are after, Police man, are immortal, blood-thirsty, demi-demons that survive through butchery and sheer carnage alone. These are not _**_people_**_ we are hunting. Get your facts straight."_

_The officer, now clearly uncomfortable with the whole situation, decided to wrap up his piece as quickly as possible, so as to not have the... whatever he was sitting across from him, get further upset with his apparent incompetence._

_"Yes, well, the killings have all been occurring within the same area: this district here."_

_He pointed and outlined an area that encompassed an area that included the Southern portion of Manhattan, the West end of Brooklyn, Ellis, Governor and Liberty Island._

_"And interestingly enough, many of the wealthier victims either had connections to, or were high-ranking members of the Russian Mafia. The same syndicate that was obliterated by the same killer some time ago."_

_"So we know this slayer's motive for blowing up some Vodka jockeys. Where do I come in?" Alucard asked, now getting impatient._

_It was Wilson who spoke up this time, "Obviously the killer, and the coven we're after, are connected. We're both hunting the same prey. He's been aware of their presence for much longer than we have. Therefore, it seems the best course of action would be to track down and apprehend him for information."_

_At this, a wide grin began to grow on Alucard's face. It seems he would get his shot at this "Angel Dust Killer" after all._

_"Well, that sounds all well and good, but how do find him? If he's eluded you lot for so long, then what makes you think you'll be able to track him down this time?"_

_It was Wilson's turn to grin, "Because this time, we have a witness."_

* * *

Alucard stood in the apartment lobby. The woman he was after was a Ms. Sally Kane. Apparently, she had called in to a hospital to report strange dreams, before suddenly coming to the conclusion that her "hallucinations" were real. She had been tracked down by Wilson's colleagues who were in on the vampire situation, and the info had been quickly relayed to Alucard to investigate. Hopefully this would not be a waste of time. CIA were known for their paranoia and lack of respect for personal boundaries, and when you crossed that with the almost genetic trait of unintelligence and habit of "jumping-the-gun" that was present amongst nearly all Americans, it made for an untrustworthy combination.

The secretary spoke up, "Uh, Mr. Alucard? Ms. Kane will see you now."

"Thank you."

Alucard made his way up the stairs, and down the hallway on his left till he reached a door on the left side marked "No. 4, Kane." He knocked a few times, and waited. After about 5 seconds, the door opened slightly, chain lock still in place, revealing a woman in her late 30's with curly ginger hair, and a pale face, looking scared out of her wits. Which, was more than likely the case, considering previous events and Alucard's imposing figure.

"Are you the...Agent, the police sent?"

"That I am. And you must be Ms. Kane?"

Door shut, and Alucard's eyebrows raised at the sound of multiple locks being removed. The door opened again, and Ms. Kane hastily motioned the vampire in.

"Quickly! You never know if **they** might be around!"

Alucard had to stifle a chuckle at the poor woman's antics. The irony of the situation was just to much. This clearly disturbed woman, who feared that vampires were after her, now was seeking help from another **vampire**. It was all Alucard could do to not burst into uncontrollable laughter right then and there.

The apartment was a rather quaint setup. The door opened up immediately into a small living space with a couch, coffee table, rocking chair and a fireplace on the wall to Alucard's left. A flatscreen T.V. was stationed on the wall above the fireplace. Straight in front of him was a large patio window that looked over the busy street below. Past the fireplace and to the right led to the kitchen, and a corner turning right again led to a bathroom, and the master bedroom.

"Have a seat, if you please," she motioned to the couch, to which Alucard abliged, "Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?" She fidgeted as she asked.

"No thank you, my dear," Alucard declined, "Instead I think it would be best if we cut to the chase. I understand you have a very interesting story for me?"

"Ah, yes, I suppose it is the elephant in the room isn't it?" She sat down in the rocking chair.

"It all happened so fast, and it's such a blur now that I can barely tell if it was real or not."

Alucard analyzed her face from behind his sunglasses. She was clearly disturbed, but that didn't make anything she was about to say invalid. He would need to pay close attention to determine if the cause of her madness was the result of supernatural influence, or psychological dementia.

"I was walking home to my apartment from the neighborhood market. It was late at night, near midnight, I know, classic right? I had been delayed by a run in with a good friend of mine, so I was in a rush. That's when it happened."

Alucard's eyes never left her face, "What happened?"

Her eyes were that of pure fear, remembering something that would have best been left forgotten, "Three men, all of strong build, looked like gangbanger or something, attacked me. They ripped my purse and groceries from my arms, and pushed me into an alleyway. I thought I was going to be..." She stopped to compose herself. Tears were forming around her eyes.

"...But that's when I saw it. Their **eyes**. Glowing red, slitted like those of a cat, or maybe a lizard! And those **teeth**. They were like sharks! Oh, fangs long and looked ready to rip into me! I tried to fight back, but he was too strong! **Unnaturally** strong! He could have broken my arm with no effort, I'm sure of it!"

She pause again, and looked away, trying to regain what little composure she had. Alucard's grin had long left his face as he analyzed her reactions. She wasn't lying, that much was certain, but was her fear coming from a real event, or a paranoid delusion?

"So what happened after?"

"Well, he leaned into me... I think he was about to... with those..."

Alucard sighed, "We can skip that detail if you're too uncomfortable. Just get to the main point."

"Alright," she breathed, "Anyway... That's when **he** appeared."

Alucard leaned in, "You mean...?"

"Yes," she confirmed, "That 'Angel of Death' on the news."

She took a long pause before continuing, "A thick fog rolled into the alley, and a deep voice spoke out; _'Those who are wicked to others, have only death to look forward to.'_ The fog seemed to bend, to reform and turn into the figure himself! They shot at him, they HIT him, but he wasn't effected. He vanished, and reappeared behind one of them! And then..."

She went into detail about how each one was killed, and then turned into dust. With each passing moment Alucard was becoming more and more convinced of her story. They were vampires, and the killer was clearly a skilled slayer. But the nature, the way he killed them, and the abilities he demonstrated...could he be...?

"...And then he came towards me." The woman looked thoroughly exhausted, her eyes were wet, and her voice had grown quite soft, whereas before it had been shrill with fear. All the emotion of that night had been spilled out.

"So," Alucard continued, "What did he do?"

"He stepped toward me, his eyes hidden behind that shrouded mask. I was afraid at first, but when his eyes locked with mine, I felt...relaxed, at ease, almost..."

"Tranced?" Alucard finished for her. Her eyes lit up briefly, "Yes! Exactly!" She resumed her tale.

"He embraced me, and whispered to me in a voice powerful, yet soft. Like a distant rolling thunder."

"What did he say?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment, as if trying to remember, "He told me to forget. To forget this night, for it was nothing more than a nightmare. He told me nothing would harm me, and that I was safe. When I woke up, I was here...

"And that's my strange story." She smiled sadly. Alucard took all this in. It almost all added up, but he needed to know one more thing:

"When he held you, did you get a look at his eyes **at all?**"

Ms. Kane thought for a moment, eyes closed. After about a minute, she spoke up.

"Yes," she said, her voice quavering, "They were... They were **red**, they were exactly like theirs!"

She now seemed fearful again, as this new revelation now deeply concerned her. Alucard had pieced nearly all of it together. _She was hypnotized,_ He thought to himself, _The one doing it was clearly an amateur and did a half-assed job, but she was hypnotized nontheless. This "Angel of Death" is undoubtedly a vampire of some power, it all fits: telekinesis, the mist, the strength, the hypnosis, it's all so obvious. But crusading against his own kind? _It wasn't uncommon for fledgling vampires to turn against their masters, or even their entire coven in a bid for power and self-assertion, but this didn't feel or look like a power-grab. It felt like a crusade, a vigilante mission of revenge against an enemy who had done him wrong.

_Well, this is getting VERY interesting._

"Mr. Alucard?"

The nosferatu was snapped from his thoughts as Ms. Kane was now looking directly at him, in a very concerned way.

"Am I crazy?" Alucard stood up, and looked on her with a smile.

"I've always believed that the people who are closest to the truth, are madmen and children," he knelt down in front of her.

"But unfortunately for you," he closed his eyes and removed his glasses, "The truth is a luxury that you cannot afford, and a burden you can't bear."

He opened his eyelids, fixing her with his piercing gaze, paralyzing her with blood-red demon's eyes...

* * *

Alucard stood outside the hotel, a cellphone pressed to his ear.

"_So, the woman _**_had_**_ encountered those creatures and the killer?"_

"Yes. She was mesmerized in order to try and wipe her memories, but it was done very poorly, and the memories resurfaced."

Wilson, on the other line, sighed, "_That would explain her now frequent mental breakdowns. How is she?"_

Alucard grinned, "I picked up where the killer left off, and did what he failed to do. She will have absolutely no memory whatsoever of the event, and will go about her life as if nothing happened."

"_How can you be sure? Hypnosis rarely lasts._"

"**Hypnosis** wears off, but full mental domination and manipulation is a much finer art. After mesmerizing her, I was able to literally reach in and extract the related memories from her mind, and completely abolish them from her consciousness. She will not be a problem, I assure you," Alucard finished.

"Now, can you direct me to the alleyway she was attacked in?"

"_Of course. It's just 2 blocks down from your current position._

"Understood," Alucard confirmed, "I'm moving there now. I'll see what I can find."

He hung up and proceeded to walk towards the alleyway. It was about 7:30, and the sun was almost completely set. Alucard could feel more of his strength starting to return to him, despite the seal's influence.

_Now, "Angel of Death,"_ He thought to himself, _let's find out what you're _**_really_**_ made of._

* * *

When Alucard cleared the hotel, a kid, seeming of around 17-18 years old or asian descent, wearing a thick gray hoodie and torn jeans, frantically dialed on a cell phone. His hood was up, and his face was a ghostly pale. His teeth were unusually sharp, and his eyes were red as blood. He brought the phone to his ear and waited.

"_Tour guides! How may we help you?"_

" You can help me find the life worth living," he said, fear in his voice.

"_Certainly! One moment please,"_ The kid waited, peeking behind him to catch a glimpse of the man in the red trench coat and fedora walking in the opposite direction. After an agonizing 30 seconds, a voice came through.

"_Who is it? Speak."_

"This is Yuji. I have a report to make, sir. **He's** here! The Hellsing dog! He's **here!**"

"_Where are you?_"

"I'm at the home of the woman you sent me to kill. When I got here, he was already heading up the stairs."

_"Then you have failed, and he got the information._"

The boy panicked, "It's not my fault, I swear! It's just... I was..."

"**_Enough._**_ We can discuss your failure later. By now he has probably wiped the mind of the woman already. Get to the nearest safe-house, and stay low. When daylight comes, make your way back to the island, and we will discuss this further. Is that understood?_"

The boy gulped, but nodded to himself in conformation, "Yes sir."

"_Good. Now get moving."_ The kid hung up as soon as he heard the line go silent. His mind was racing as he headed south towards Castle Clinton. His long dead heart was going at a mile a minute as he came to grips with what was happening.

_Perfect, just fan-fucking-tastic! As if I didn't have to worry enough with that psycho slayer on the loose, fucking HELLSING is here to!? FUCK! And on top of that the boss is gonna be pissed the hell off that I fucked this latest mission up! SHIT! DAMMIT! SON OF A FUCKING _**_BITCH!_**

As he ran over rooftops at speeds impossible for a human, he failed to notice a cloaked figure sitting on top of the Woolworth building, tracking his movements.

"**Now, where are you going in such a hurry?**"

Without saying another word, he took off, gliding towards the fleeing vampire.

* * *

Yuji was exhausted when he landed at Battery Park. The sun had completely set, and time was not on his side. He walked down the path that took him straight to Castle Clinton. His coven had a safe-house hidden in their, as well as an emergency access to the subway. The safe-houses themselves were like miniature bomb-shelters, equipped with weapons, armour, and all-you-can-drink blood. Internet and facilities were also set up for any vampire seeking to hide out for a while. The safe-houses were connected on a digital network that alerted the main control of any who entered, how much resources they used, and when they left. By the time someone else had to use it, the facility would be completely restocked. Yuji walked at a brisk pace, hoping to anyone who still liked him that this would go smoothly.

As if to asure him that his prayers had been thoroughly ignored, a thick fog rolled in front of his path, blocking his way. He turned behind him to try and get away, but the fog was there too. He was cut off. But then he started laughing.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! You think a little smoke can stop me! THINK AGAIN FUCK NUGGET!"

He dashed forward at high speed, reaching nearly 80 miles an hour. He would be at the fort in no time.

A minute passed. Then five. Then 10. No matter how hard he ran, he didn't seem to be getting any further. Then he stopped. With great apprehension, he looked behind himself... only to see the corner entrance to the park, the way he had entered, disappear into the fog for the **second** time in a row.

"**Did you think you could escape that easily?**"

Yuji turned left, right, looked up, behind himself again, then forward, but he couldn't pinpoint the source of the voice, even with his superhuman senses.

"**You cannot escape your fate, once it has been sealed. That day happened to moment you chose to forsake your humanity to become... that DISGUSTING thing which you are now.**"

"SHUT UP! I'm better than I have ever been before! I'm faster, stronger! I can sense things I never could before! I can DO things I never even dreamed!" Yuji shouted into the mist.

"**And yet, despite everything you've gained, everything you've sacrificed to gain this power...**" The mist in front of him began to form into a giant white skull, with fiery eyes, sharp fangs and a serpentine tongue, "**Nothing has changed. You are still weak, helpless, FRAIL. And now you will perish in the pits of Hell.**"

The apparition started moving towards the now terrified Yuji, snarling and gnashing it's teeth. Yuji was stricken with fear. The words of this demon were starting to sink in. He shook his head and yelled in defiance to this being,

"NO! You're WRONG! I'm not gonna die here! I REFUSE TO DIE HERE!"

He jumped forward and, channeling all his strength into one blow, struck the creature in front of him. He felt the impact, and the skull shattered and vanished into the mist. The ground quaked from the force, leaving a small crater where it was. Yuji was stunned for a moment, but then started smiling, and then laughing maniacally.

"He...Heh heh...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! WAS THAT IT!? WAS THAT ALL YOU HAD!? WELL TAKE THAT MOTHERFUCKER! FUCK WITH YUJI, YUJI FUCKS YOU UP! HELL YEAH! BOOYAH MOTHERFUCKER!"

"**That was a good performance. Now I think it's time for ****_interview_****.**"

"WHA-ACK!"

A silver chain wrapped around his neck and hauled him up out of the fog, and into the branches of a particularly tall tree. There, to his dread, perched on a branch, cloaked in black, wearing a skull-like mask and cowl, was the Angel of Death. Yuji struggled against the chains that were choking him, thrashing about like a cornered animal trying to escape.

"**Oh, but I guess interrogating you won't do any good if you're being choked. How ****_inconsiderate_**** of me**."

He let go of his neck, but before Yuji could fall, the telekinetically-controlled bounds wrapped themselves around either arm, suspending him in the air just above the branch, allowing the cloaked killer to look down on him like an owl looking down on a rat.

"How!? What the!?"

"**An ILLUSION. That being you fought was nothing more than a hallucinogenic projection invented by your mind in response to my invasion. When you breathed in my mist, it allowed me to gain access to your body, invade your mind and 'program' it to my will. You only thought you were running forward when, in actuality, you've been running in place for the past 15 minutes.**"

At this point, any normal person would be both pissing and shitting themselves simultaneously. Though Yuji was far from normal, he seemed more than willing to comply with the social norm.

"**Now, Scouter Yuji, you are going to tell me everything I want to know. Otherwise...**"

The chain holding his right arm made a sharp tug, and Yuji screamed in pain as his arm separated from his shoulder. Skin and flesh held strong, and were already starting to heal the damage, but that just meant more pain could be extorted from him.

"**Now, question one: Were you heading to a vampire safe-house near this area?**"

Yuji just looked at him a few moments. He knew if he said anything, it would mean the death of - RIP! "AAAAAAAAARRRRRRG!"

"**There goes ONE arm.**" The interrogator said.

"AH! YES! There's a safe-house here, it's in Castle Clinton!"

"**Very good. Now tell, what's the password to access the Coven's main network?**"

"FUCK YOU! like I'm gonna tell you tha - OOF!"

Yuji was cut off by a sharp blow to the stomach. Time was wearing thin for the young vampire. Surprisingly, he just grinned defiantly at his assailant, and started laughing again.

"Ha, ha, ha-ha! You can wail on me all you want, but there's no way in hell I'm giving that up. You think I'd sell out the people who took me in? Gave me a home? Rescued me from that run-down home and deadbeat old man? FUCK YOU! I'M NOT SELLING OUT MY FAMILY NO MATTER WHAT THE FUCK YOU DO!"

"**Well, it seems I'll have to get more creative then.**" He stretched out his hand and closed his hand around Yuji's face.

"WHOA! What the FUCK are you doing!?"

"**Getting** **creative**," He stated, "**Torture, is not limited to just the body you know."**

An eye opened up on his palm, and suddenly, the world vanished for Yuji.

* * *

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

The screams of the young vampire echoed on for a good 5 minutes as he went through unbelievable pain. Every type of physical pain the mind could comprehend, electrocution, battery, burning, freezing, drowning, migrane, sonic, everything that could cause hurt, Yuji's mind was experiencing all at the same time. Because pain is recognized in the mind, it felt real throughout his whole body. On top of that, he was also experiencing his worst fears and experiences; surrounded by spiders, watching his mother die, and the time he was nearly raped in jail, were also happening at the same time. This was a new kind of torture altogether. The kind no one could withstand.

After 6 solid minutes, Yuji was allowed back into reality, still gasping and screaming.

"**I can make that experience last for a whole lot longer,**" The Angel of Death this time, Yuji was a sniveling mess.

"F-...Fine! I'll tell you everything just PLEASE! Don't... don't hurt me anymore!"

"**I'll consider it.**"

"The password is 696 - thelifeworthliving - 696, it's the password for universal access to that station and that one alone. Each one is different only in the first and last three numbers. On top of that, there's an individual password reserved for trusted members like myself that allow access to classified information: blood shipments, financial transaction details, activities of lesser vampires, and of course, the location of the coven's high council. I was only recently promoted, and I'm in good with one of the Elders. I run shipments, and act as both a messenger and go-between when council members and affiliated businessmen want to get deals done with one another. I was the guy who was gonna broker the deal with the Russians before you blew them up!"

"**You mean in exchange for a large share of their stocks and control over their activities, you would grant them immortality.**"

_Good thing I toasted those fuckers when I did then,_ He thought.

"*Cough*, yeah. That was the plan."

The hooded killer thought a moment before addressing him again.

"**You were outside that woman's home today. She was attacked by your kind. Which means..."**

"...I was gonna KILL her, YES! The boss didn't want any loose ends, not with YOU roaming about, knocking off our guys! Do you KNOW how many thralls we've had to kill off to prevent the big secret from getting out!? A FUCKING TON, that's how many!"

The killer fixed Yuji's eyes with a merciless gaze that said he was about to experience hell all over agian.

"W-WAIT! I said I WAS! I didn't get the chance because the 'Crimson Fucker' beat me there and wiped her memory! Now the entire coven's TWICE as fucked, and I'm gonna end being the fall guy!"

"**What do mean? Who is this person!?**"

Yuji looked surprised, "What? You don't know!? If anything I would've thought you were rolling with that organization, you certainly fit the fucking JOB DESCRIPTION of a Hellsing agent!"

Now it was the killer's turn to be surprised, "**'Hellsing'? What is 'Hellsing'? Answer me!**"

The struggling vampire simply smirked, "Oh, I'm sure you'll find out _really_ soon without any help from me! I'm willing to bet my entire family fucking FORTUNE that once he's done cleaning our asses out, Alucard will come after YOU next!"

"**Oh, will he now? In that case I best prepare to face this 'Alucard of Hellsing', shouldn't I? But first...**" He stretched his hand out again, "**Let's see just how much you know, Yuji."**

The eye opened again, and Yuji found himself screaming in pain for several more minutes...before feeling a cold silver blade end his misery.

* * *

The cloaked crusader sat atop a cathedral, pondering the new information he had acquired. It had now become his new obsession, other than killing vampires: Hellsing. An agency in England, charged with finding and eliminating all Satanic threats to her Majesty and the Protestant Church. The vampire, in particular, was a specialty for them. He could hardly believe it. Actual, government sponsored, professional monster-hunters. People who knew the truth. People who would do something about. But more importantly, people like him.

He was close now. So close to finishing the job he had set out to do so long ago. He had a long ways to go before he could find the one truly responsible, but he could at least take out the first group of culprits. But what of this new hunter, Alucard? From what he gathered from Yuji's memories, he was a vampire too, and an extremely powerful one. Some called him the night-walker, who glides through oceans of blood. An unstoppable immortal, a monster who's power radiated with a darkness that casts a shadow on darkness itself! Well, he may be incredibly powerful, but if there was one thing he learned as "The Angel of Death", it was this: No one lives forever.

He descended to the ground, in an alley, and allowed the darkness to cover him. When he stepped out into the streets, gone was the cloaked assassin that terrorized vampire-kind. Instead stood a boy, around 17 years old, standing at a tall six feet, wearing black nike sneakers, blue jeans, and a navy-blue sheepskin-lined hoodie. He had a pale complexion, and thick brown hair that was longer in the front than on the sides, and the bangs fell forward. A sort of Caesar-cut without the gel, though it still stayed a little messy. He turned to the stor on his right and walked in.

Guns of all variaties lined the walls, from pistols to shotguns, SMGs and assault rifles. The boy walked up to the store manager, a greasy Italian man named Tony Palachi. He had tanned skin, with a balding head that had black hair around the sides and a greasy black mustache. He was asleep on his desk, drooling on a Playboy magazine. He jabbed the guy's shoulder to wake him.

"*Snrk, snort*, hmm get out! We're closed..."

"Sorry Tony, but I need your services. Now."

The balding man looked up, and his eyes went wide.

"...Danny!?"

The boy known as Danny smiled, "Long time no see, _vecchio amico_."

The man was now fully awake and trying to clean his space up, "Uh, yeah, long time no see... REAL long time no see, I've barely caught sight or sound of you since the Russians collapsed! Great job on that by the way, real good job," He gave a mock thumbs up.

"Hey, you should be thankful. They were ready to launch an all-out tactical assault on the Pallachino Crime Family and completely annihilate you guys. The only reason they waited as long as they did is that I kept telling them you had good guns."

Tony smirked at this, "Well it's good to know that you ain't a lier! Still I guess you gotta point. But not like it fuckin' matters now! Thanks to your work for them half the syndicates in the city are bleeding to death, and I'm willing to bet that less than a handful are gonna make a comeback. But, then again, that's probably good news to you, ain't it?"

"I never wanted to live that life. I only used as a means to an end. To get the training I needed, to get the gear I needed..."

"Yeah, yeah, save the righteous story," Tony threw his hands up, "I know what you're really after and I'm not tryin' to be Yoda here. I'm grateful. Business may not be booming as much but it's still good, and things are, you know, quieter around here now. I kinda like it, it makes things more relaxing. Hey,"

He took Danny's hand, and the too embraced each other in a mafioso style bro hug, "I'm glad you're alright kid."

"You to, _pistola_."

"Now," Tony said, breaking the tender moment, "WHAT! Can I do for the infamous 'Angel of Death'?"

"Same material, various calibres," Danny replied.

"Ah, so silver then?" Tony asked, "I got a bunch of new stuff hidden in the back, kept it just in case you came by again. So, shall we take a look?"

Danny followed the man behind the counter, "Yes, that'd be great."

* * *

1 hour later, Danny was standing atop a tall structure, looking out into the blue water. He was armed with various high-tech gadgets and anti-freak weaponry, and ready to make his final assault. Everything was in place. He knew that by the end of this night, he would not see this city again. That meant either leaving, or dying. Either way, he would have no regrets. Well, if he died, he would have one: That he didn't find and kill the man responsible for their deaths. The deaths of his parents. These monsters have been hiding in the shadows and preying on the innocent for centuries. Now it was time for them to suffer.

He would be saying goodbye to so much, if it all worked out. Well, nothing and no one he hadn't already said goodbye too. Dropping out of school after your parents murder, getting turned into a monster, and having to join a criminal organization to survive long enough to wage this war kind robbed you of most decent relations. But still, it was his home. The resting place of his parents. The place he was born, and the place he died...

* * *

**Flashback: 30 minutes ago, Tony's Gun Shop**

_"So, you're really leaving then?" Tony said. They had finished the transaction, which required the spending of almost half of Danny's remaining crime cash, as well as cashing in a few I.O.U.'s from Tony. He hadn't told him much, just that a group of government-sponsored hunter's existed, and he may have a shot at joining them. But, he might end up dead if it goes south._

_"Hopefully. If it all works out. Listen Tony, thanks for everything you've done. You're alright, and you've helped me take the fight to these fuckers head-on. You've been a good pal to me, and that means something."_

_"Ah, don't worry 'bout it, I'm justa gun launderer tryin' to do somethin' right for a change. But hey, you take care, alright?"_

_Danny nodded, "I always do."_

_He stepped out of the shop. The streets at this side were empty, so he shadow-shifted into his uniform, and took off into the night._

_Tony just stood there, watching, "Goodbye Danny Crusnikov. God bless you."_

_He went back about his work, closing up shop for the night._

_"...And may he have mercy on whoever you're after."_

* * *

He looked towards the sea in front of him. The island locked in his gaze. The time had come. He knew where they were. And now, at long last this scourge would die out.

"**I'm coming for you.**"

Lady Liberty seemed to him a beacon of encouragement. Long had these creatures lived on her islands, and now, justice would finally cleanse her of impurity.

The Angel of Death, Danny Crusnikov, stood. He heard movement behind him and saw, on a building rooftop behind his, a Red-Coated figure, looking at him through orange sunglasses

_Right on time..._

* * *

Alucard had been doing some digging around that ally. And he was stumped. Whoever this person was, he knew how to get a job done. No traceable evidence whatsoever. He even did a psychic sweep to try and pick up on any residual emotion that could be traced back to the killer's history. But this guy was good. All he got was a vision of the killer in costume. Angel of Death. Ha! Alucard knew TWO angels of death, and while this kid had some good tricks, he wasn't about to grant this guy such a noble title just yet!

The situation was getting frustrating though, even as he sat in his suite, drinking a glass of blood wine. He needed to find these vampires, and destroy them. The day hadn't been a total loss, though. He did have a good shootout with some overly-eager new borns who wanted to prove they were "top vamp." They gave him some useful intel in regards to safe-house locations, and what the vampires were trying to do here. Turns out, they were just like every other crime syndicate, out for money and power. Though instead of drugs or weapons, they sold immortality in exchange for control over certain stock-holds that the mafias possessed. It was a good plan. But way too public. They were taking the Dandy Man's method of bribery to a new extreme, and they had to be stopped. He decided it would be best to investigate the safe-houses next, as they would undoubtedly yield the most useful intel. Who knows, maybe he'd find that vampire hunter with the Reaper-complex.

As if on cue, the glass window of his suite shattered as an arrow streaked towards Alucard. Reacting quickly, he caught it mid flight. Attached to it was a note. He unfurled it, and his eyes widened as he read it:

_Follow me if you don't want to miss out on the fun._

He looked out towards where the arrow pointed, and focused. on a building in the distance, a lone figure stood, draped in a black hood and cowl, a black skull mask for a face, and a composite bow in hand. He gave a thumbs up signal, then jumped into the air, disappearing into the concrete jungle.

Alucard snarled, "Touché," and leapt out after him.

* * *

The caped vigilante looked at the vampire for but the briefest of moments, before pointing out towards Liberty Island. Without saying another word, he leapt into the air, and flew towards the statue.

Alucard grinned, "So now the fun begins." He leapt up after him, and flew towards the island.


	3. Dance with Death

**Chapter 3**

**Please read the A/N and review!**

* * *

Beneath the Statue of Liberty, an underground fortress was hidden. It was as large as a mansion in terms of total square feet, and protected by a hundred trained guards. They all carried state of the art weaponry, had years of training under their belt, and were the best money could by. The fortress itself was a maze of hallways, with rooms for each of it's inhabitants, and several facilities including bathrooms, a cafeteria, lounges, and firing ranges. The fortress entrance was hidden inside Lady Liberty herself, and could only be found by those who both knew where it was, and could enter in the correct password. It was secret, secure... and populated entirely by vampires. In this secret fortress, the _Immortalis Dominus,_ the leaders of the New World Coven, dwelled in the central chamber, around which the entire fortress was built. Six middle-aged, well dressed men sat at a round table. Amongst their kin they were the oldest and most powerful, and commanded all the activities of the coven. Tonight, they were gathered to discuss business and future operations within the city. Sitting in the largest chair, a man with long black, slicked-back hair, thick sideburns and eyebrows, and a slight goatee prepared to open up the meeting. Some of the hairs on his head fell out of place, giving him the appearance of a devil lying in wait. Which wasn't to far from reality.

"Gentlemen," he spoke, "Thank you for your attendance on such short notice. This meeting of the Six _Dominus_ will now come to order."

A brown haired man with a fair face stood, "Sir, you will be pleased to know that we've secured several more stock-holds from the Italian as well as the Chinese mafias. We now control all the drug, human, and arms trafficking business all through the Island. Congratulations, sir."

The other four smirked and muttered amongst themselves, clearly pleased with the turn of events in their favour.

Next, a tall man with grey hair stood to make his report, "That's all well and good gentlemen, but we've had a serious incident today: one of our safe houses was compromised earlier today."

The room instantly got quiet as all eyes were fixated on the man. The tension in the room suddenly becoming so thick it could have been cut with a blade.

"Earlier last night, Safe House #7, Castle Clinton, was ransacked and hacked. The assailant logged into our computer using the universal access password, and a personal password."

A shorter man with a mustache spoke out, "How the hell did he manage to get a hold of that kind of information!?"

"It must be a rat!" Another called out

"**Silence.**" The head vampire commanded, and they immediately retook their seats.

"You said he used a personal password. Who's did he use?"

"According to my databanks," the gray haired man said, "It belonged to one of our newest middle-men. The delivery boy, Yuji Sakamoto."

The head man grunted, "Useless sack of shit. I should have expected this to happen."

"Sir?"

The man rested his head on his chin, "The situation is more serious than any of you are aware. I sent the boy to tie up a loose end, specifically the alley case from a few weeks ago."

The brown haired man spoke, "You mean with the woman and that slayer?"

"Yes, the same," he frowned and continued, "He failed his assignment. His target was intercepted and interrogated before he could make it. He reported to me a disturbing piece of information over the phone. Gentlemen," he rose from his seat, and fixed them all with a serious gaze.

"Hellsing is here."

A collective of gasps and whispers broke out amongst the suited vampires. Very few things could send a group of powerful immortals into a scare. A collection of whispers and murmurings broke out.

"Hellsing!?"

"Those damned protestant murderers!"

"The No-Life-King... Oh gods, we're all doomed!"

"**Quiet.**" The leader called out again. For the second time that evening, the room fell quiet instantly at the sound of his voice.

"The Hellsing Organization has sent Alucard here, undoubtedly with the purpose of eliminating us," he continued, "which means that this stronghold is no longer safe. We must make plans for evacuation immediately."

Another council member spoke up. "And where will we go?"

"I have friends in Russia who will gladly take us in. I've also contacted our Japanese partners as well. We have strong governmental influence there. It will virtually impossible for Hellsing or even Iscariot to follow us there once we pass over the borders."

**BOOM!**

A powerful explosion shook the entire compound. The six _Dominus_ sprung out of their chairs in surprise as all eyes went to the monitor at the back of the room.

"Control, give me a damn update!" The lead vampire shouted.

The monitor turned on and static broke through. It lasted about fifteen seconds, and when the image finally came through, It sent a very human chill of fear throughout the council. Several vampiric guards and operators all lay dead. Decapitated, turned to dust, some had all of their limbs torn off and were just flopping around like fish out of water. Suddenly, the face of a relatively young vampire guard came into view. He was sweating, panicking, and looked afraid for his life. A silver blade was pierced through his chest, just barely missing the heart. A black, clawed hand gripped his hair. The vampire choked out in pain as he was hoisted up to the monitor. The assailant could not be seen.

_**"Now I want you to tell them exactly what I told you to tell them."**_

_"Oh, God, please don't-AAIIIIEEE!" _The blade twisted in his chest.

_**"You're pissing me off. SAY IT!"**_

_"AAH! Attention... You... Undead sons of bitches..." _He sounded forced, as if the words coming out of his mouth were toxic to him.

_"The... time has come... for you to know the full weight... of your sins... Tonight, __**your**__ blood shall be spilled... Tonight, __**you**__... will know the meaning of suffering... and terror!" _He squeaked out.

_"So... Prepare yourselves... you... disgusting, underworld freak-spawn, because tonight, YOU'RE ALL GONNA BURN IN HELL!"_

The blade twisted again as he said the last words, prompting him to scream them out. The black assassin showed neither mercy nor sympathy.

_**"Good. Thank you for your assistance in the service of justice. You can use this night as argument for redemption on your way to Hell."**_

Without another word, the assassin removed the blade from his chest, and in a swift motion, cut his head from his body. As it dropped to the ground, the assassin's body could be seen in clearer detail. He wore a customized suit, made of armored plates, and fibre-muscles underneath. A black cloak and cowl covered his body, and his armored mask was like that of a skull.

The head vampire stared in grim wonder. "What the **Hell**, is that?"

**"I'm coming for you, ****_Dominus,"_** He said, **"It's time to face your Judgement."**

He lifted his handgun from his belt, and opened fire on the camera. Once again, static filled the screen. Everyone was quiet.

"... Prepare the escape helicopter immediately." The head vampire spoke out. He pressed a button on the desk.

"Attention all personnel," his voice rang out, "This facility has been compromised. All non-military personnel are to evacuate immediately. All guards, hunt down and eliminate the intruder!"

* * *

A line of guards crouched down at the end of the hallway. All of them were staring down the sights of their M-16s, ready to mow down anything that came their way.

"Look! Somethings coming!"

Danny charged down the hallway at high speed, murder in his eyes, his cloak fluttering behind him.

"OH SHIT! FIRE! OPEN FIRE!"

Gunshots rang out as bullets pelted the area where Danny previously stood. He jumped above the bullet storm and whipped out his own weapons. Flipping over his enemies, he delivered a rain of death on his foes from twin MP5s. Landing on his feat, he turned and swung his fist to catch an oncoming enemy in the jaw, sending him into a wall with enough force to leave a crater.

More enemies ran at him, launching punches and kicks. Danny grabbed the first fist in his hand, then pivoted around his foe to dodge a kick from another adversary. He then bent his opponents arm over his shoulder and threw him into the oncoming group of vampires, knocking them over like pins in a bowling alley. The vampire who kicked earlier turned to his left to try and hit Danny, but the assassin was to fast. His arm whipped out, blade extended from the wrist, and decapitated him. He fell to the ground, no more than dust now.

The Angel of Death looked up at the fallen vampires, who had now gotten up. He extended a second blade from his other arm, and charged forward. He moved as gracefully as a bird of prey, swooping, diving, spinning. The blades danced in the air, slicing limbs, arteries, and torsos. At last, Danny charged forward at the last vampire guard. He opened fire, but the bullets were useless. Danny crossed his arms, and then, putting all his strength into his leap, outstretched his arms with lighting speed. He slid as he landed, arms stretched out like lethal wings. The vampire behind him, cut in half from the torso, fell down dead. Danny stood, and retracted his blades. He then pulled two heavy arms from his back: An AK-47 with grenade launcher, and an M60 machine gun. All loaded with deadly silver-based ammo. He walked through the door, and, not to his surprise, there were at least 50 armed guards all barricading the entrance to the council room. Danny growled under his mask.

**"It doesn't matter how many they send..."** He readies his weapons. **"I'm coming for you. And nothing's gonna stop me."**

He leapt at his enemies, and all sides opened fire.

* * *

The six _Dominus_ were old, powerful, but they were also cowardly. They were investors, businessmen, not warriors. The private helicopter behind the statue was already kicking up strong winds from it's rotors when they boarded it.

"Let's get the hell out of here!" The leader yelled.

The helicopter started to lift, when suddenly, the side of the Statue of Liberty that they exited from exploded. The elders raised their arms to shield themselves from the incoming debris and fire. When the smoke cleared, a lone figure stepped forth from the flames. The Angel of Death stood, staring hard at his targets.

"PILOT!" The elder screamed, "GET US UP IN THE AIR, NOW!"

_Oh, no you don't!_

Danny dropped his two heavy arms and raced forward at high speed. The helicopter was already 30 feet in the air and climbing. The elder looked down and grinned cockily.

"Let's see him try to get us now!"

Danny let loose his silver chains, which arched through the air and wrapped themselves around the tail rotor. He grounded himself firmly as the helicopter threatened to drag him along.

**"You... WILL... NOT... LEAVE... THIS... ISLAND!**"

He stopped himself, planting his feet firmly in the dirt, and pulled with all of his strength. The helicopter was pulled, and began to spin. Danny pivoted on his heels and began to spin the helicopter around. The elders tried desperately to hold on as they were being thrown about the interior. With a great effort, Danny spun the copter around one more time, and sent it crashing into the statue. The helicopter erupted in flames as it fell to the ground with a great crash.

* * *

...

The elder vampire awoke, burnt, with smoke in his lungs. He coughed, and tried to stand up, his vampiric healing already kicking in. He crawled out of the wreckage, and crashed to the ground. He saw the five other elders, all either burned beyond recognition, or impaled on some piece of shrapnel.

A dark figure loomed in front of him. He soon found himself hoisted into the air by a pair of strong arms, and staring straight into the eyes of death.

**"At long last, we finally meet."**

Danny gripped the man's throat in his right hand and slammed him against the nearest tree.

"ACK! It's... you! You're the one who... assailed our compound... killed my men..!"

**"That's right, big boy. And you're the last one left. I've killed all 138 of your soldiers and servants. They went down pretty easy, though I'm pretty sure one of them actually managed to turn into some sort of Chiropteran. A rare power among freshlings. Impressive. But futile."**

He threw the elder into another tree, and pined him to the tunk with a blade in each limb.

"What do you want!?"

**"WHAT DO I WANT!?"** Danny roared.

**"I want you, and all your kind to burn in eternal agony! I want you to feel what it's like to be alone, broken, helpless, suffocating in a box with no one to hear you scream! I want you to beg me for mercy like I give a damn! I want you to BLEED, mother-fucker!**

Danny launched a powerful punch into the man's face, the force shattering the tree and sending him hurling at high speed into another. He slumped down, and for the first time in over a century, began to beg for his life.

"P-please!" he choked out, "Please! Spare my life, and I will give you anything you ask for!"

**"You, have nothing I want,** _**vampire**_**."** Danny growled as he stalked forward.

"Take my empire! My soldiers! My women! My money...!"

**"SHUT UP!" **Danny's enraged voice carried throughout the island. His head slumped, and he breathed heavily.

The vampire looked up at him with terror in his eyes. Now he, like Yuji, was the snivelling runt, at the mercy of this inhuman assassin. His blood ran cold when the Angel of Death looked up at him again, eyes glowing red like jewels from Hell's deepest fires.

**"I... Will not take ANY of your riches...**" He moved forward.

**"I will not covet ANY of your wives..."** His hand clasped around the vampire's throat as he hoisted him into the air again.

**"But I WILL take YOUR LIFE!"**

His cloak, suddenly began to shift and flicker, like black flames, almost as if it were alive. It twisted and convoluted into a series of grotesque tendrils, some with snapping jaws, others with hands. The dark shadow-matter began to twist and wrap itself around the elder as he squirmed and tried to fight it off. It was as if he were being mummified. The very touch of the cloak made him feel a burning pain, like that of acid. More of it wrapped around the top of his head, blinding him, as several tendrils with snapping jaws slipped down his throat. The vampire thrashed and choked in agony as his insides were literally being chewed to bits. Then, without warning, the tendrils burst forth out of the chest cavity, through the heart, spraying blood all over the front of the dark angel. The vampire twitched once or twice more, before finally going limp. As his body crumbled away, the cloak reformed back to it's original shape.

**"...You can apologize to my parents, and everyone else who's lives you have ruined, on your way to hell you worthless scumbag."**

He stood there, and watched as the body crumbled away.

**"Now, why don't you come out of hiding so we can cut right to the chase, Alucard?"**

Behind him, a swarm of bats sprung from various trees, and converged on a single spot, merging together until they formed the shape of the infamous Hellsing family "pet".

"You detected my presence even when I had scattered myself over such a wide area. You're very well practiced with your sensory abilities aren't you?"

**"I have to be,"** Danny turned to face his enemy, **"I wouldn't be much of a hunter if I were unable to locate my prey, would I?"**

Alucard smiled, revealing his sharp teeth.

"Well said indeed! So you're New York's 'Angel of Death'. The mysterious murderer who has been killing off vampires for the past 2 years now? I must say, I'm impressed with your skill set, but the get-up seems a bit..._ theatrical_." Alucard said in a challenging tone.

**"Vampires fear Death more than anything else. If they did not, then why take the offer of immortality to begin with?"** The cloaked killer answered.

"So, you disguise yourself as your opponent's greatest universal fear? By shattering their self-perceived invulnerability, and reminding them of their frailty, you can break them completely, and give yourself an edge in combat. Interesting strategy," Alucard replied, "Still, I can't help but find it odd that a vampire would hunt and kill his own kind when he has neither a coven to gain, nor an obvious master to surpass."

**"I could say the same for you,"** Danny retorted, **"You, the 'trump card of the Hellsing Organization'.**** You hunt down and butcher vampires despite being one yourself. Despite being one of the most powerful ones alive, so the rumours say. And for what? For thrills? For protection? Or maybe you think you have something to prove."**

Alucard burst out laughing.

"Something to prove!? What do you take me for, some newborn fledgeling!? Don't make me laugh!"

He laughed a few more minutes before settling down again.

"Now I'm curious, what made you come after these ones?"

The killer never displayed even a fraction of emotion.

**"These scum have been my targets for a long time. They have serious connections here with the neighboring crime lords, as you have undoubtedly come to understand."**

Alucard nodded, "Bartering the gift of vampirism for money and power. These scum appear to be powerful nobles, but in reality they are no more than low class criminals."

**"Exactly,"** Danny said, **"but their influence extends far beyond that. They have been targeting big-time politicians, lawyers, bankers, people with real pull in the high-class world. They're also a coven with tight connections to other vampire covens all over the globe. I suspected that they were planning some sort of coup, so I decided to move in."**

Alucard's eyes narrowed, as he felt a familiar tingle, an aching desire for battle run through his body.

"A reasonable explanation to be sure, but somehow I get the feeling that that's not your only motive for targeting them." He said through a toothy grin.

Behind his mask and cowl, Danny scowled.

"Besides which, I heard your little...conversation," he snorted, "with that elder. This whole incident hardly seems like the work of a good samaritan. You're after something, aren't you?" He said mischievously.

**"What I decide to do with the intel I've acquired, or which vampires I choose to kill, is my business entirely. Now enough talk."**

He readied himself into a fighting stance, his chains orbiting his body in elliptical patterns.

**"It's time we cut to the chase. You and me, vampire Alucard. No holds barred."**

Alucard could barely contain his excitement.

"Keen one, aren't you?"

His hair began to ripple and shift like black, fiery tendrils as bats began to circle around his form, and a powerful wind seemed to kick up around him.

"Very well, come at me, 'Angel of Death'! Let's see if you're worthy of carrying that name!"

Danny dashed forward, faster than even Alucard had anticipated, going form zero to a hundred and ten in just a second. He leapt into the air, aiming a flying kick at the vampire. He hit true, and the force tore through the astonished vampire Alucard as his upper body went flying through the air, blood arching behind him.

_He's fast. But it will take more than that to-_

His train of thought was cut short when several chains wrapped themselves around his upper torso, neck and arms. He was twirled around in the air before being slammed into the ground with incredible force. He didn't have time to react as he was spun again and smashed into a rock, and then into some trees, breaking through 3 trunks. Danny dashed towards the statue till he was close enough, dragging his rag-doll behind him.

_Dammit! Did this kid get lessons from Walter before he died!?_

He twirled him in the air again, letting loose more chain until it was several hundred feet in length, and with one more spin, smashed him into the Statue of Liberty. Alucard felt himself being dragged across the steel as he was being sent to the ground again. The chains burned him, and seemed to interrupt his powers as well.

_Blessed silver chains. Not bad. Looks like I might have to take this seriously after all._

Danny retracted the chains with his right hand, Alucard being dragged toward him at high speed. He unsheathed his left wrist-blade, and readied himself. Alucard drew his Casull and opened fire. Danny had to dodge, and the bullets shattered the chains. Alucard went flying past, while Danny duck rolled away. He stood and turned around to face his adversary in a fighting stance. He couldn't see the severed torso. Nor the legs. He lowered his arms and walked to the center of the grassy field. He stood there, a perfect target.

_Gotta wait for him to make the first move..._

Suddenly, several gunshots were heard, and 13mm silver rounds came flying from the trees. Danny didn't even budge. Instead, the bullets simply passed through him, as if he weren't there. In the trees behind him, Alucard berated himself.

_Not good..._

Danny spun around, fury in his eyes.

_THERE YOU ARE!_

His body became a smoky, ethereal version of himself and he began to glide at high speed towards the trees. Alucard fired more shots, but Danny zig zagged and dodged around each one, like a ghostly snake. He dove, and then pitched upwards at the trunk. He appeared in front of the No-Life King, arms outstretched, like a true angel of death, cloak like black wings.

_Well, you are skilled aren't you, boy?_ Alucard thought.

The two tumbled out of the trees, Danny landing on top of Alucard like a panther lands upon a startled deer. Alucard kicked upwards and sent him flying head over heels past him, but Danny reoriented himself at the last minute and landed on his feet. Alucard flipped to his feet and aimed his Casull. Danny dashed through the forest, while Alucard followed, keeping him in his sight as they dashed alongside each other. Alucard fired his Casull, his vampiric strength and mystical "third eye" allowing pinpoint accuracy. Danny jumped above the firing line and started jumping from branch to branch. He whipped out his twin MP5s and opened fire on Alucard, jumping backwards through the forest in order to keep his eyes on his adversary. His vampiric sense of position and distance would prevent him from crashing.

Alucard darted around trees and from side to side to avoid the bullets. His third eye had already analyzed them: silver, blessed in holy water. But then again, that should be expected by now.

_Dammit,_ he cursed under his breath, _this guy doesn't joke around._

Alucard jumped above the tree line and began to glide towards the open field again.

_There's no question now. This guy is a vampire and a hunter of the highest calibre. I can't mess around anymore..._

"Releasing Control Art Restriction Seal: **Level 1**!"

Dozens of shadowy tendrils began to take shape from his back, forming all sorts of appendages.

_I may not have my legions of familiars to depend upon any more, but at least I was able to get back the Hound of Baskerville!_

Just then, Danny sprung into the air behind Alucard, opening fire. The silver bullets tore through the No-Life King, causing agonizing pain and damage. Alucard twisted around in midair. Danny didn't have time to notice the blood from the wounds coalescing into a single, black form. The Black dog snarled and lunged at Danny, it's six eyes burning with raged. Danny, caught off-guard, drew his arms in front of him to protect him, but to no avail. The giant jaws engulfed his body, and he was thrashed about. Danny could feel the whiplash taking effect.

_FUCK! To think the bastard could summon a demon like this-!_

Alucard retracted the hound, dragging the so-called 'Angel of Death towards him. Danny was helpless. Alucard channelled his energy and strength into his arm and raised it.

"Now take THIS!"

He hurled his punch and hit Danny straight in the face. The force sent a shockwave rippling through the air as Danny plummeted and smashed into the ground, several broken trees adding to the hurt. The impact crater spewed dust, rocks and debris high into the air. Alucard landed on the ground gracefully, the dog head appearing from his shoulder.

"Good boy." He said. The dog reformed with it's master, and Alucard moved towards the crater, gun raised and braced. He peered into it, but saw no body. He moved into it, and examined the center. A deep, freshly dug hole was made.

"Clever." He jumped into the air as several explosives went off in the crater. He grinned to himself.

**"I thought so to."**

Alucard's eyes widened as he felt a blade pass through his heart, and a body crash into his back. He hit the ground hard, face first.

**"Sun Tzu once said, 'All war is based on deception.' I would have hoped someone of your level would have shown a little more foresight than to take such obvious bait."**

Danny kept his opponent pinned. Alucard did not move.

...

Suddenly, Alucard's body changed, and rippled with demonic energy. His form seemed to be like of hellfire's colours, and his body became less and less tangible. It was as if his body and image were a TV signal becoming distorted. Without warning, he faded and vanished from sight. Danny's eyes widened with surprise.

**"What the-!?"**

Gunshots rang out and Danny had barely enough time to raise his arms and block the bullets with his plates. He jumped and rolled until he was out in the field again. He spun towards the forest, guns ready, prepared to eliminate the enemy. Then, shots again, farther back, and to his right. Again, he barely had enough time to evade. Then, not a second later, more from the exact opposite side!

**"How the Hell!? There's no way he's that fast!"**

He blocked bullets coming from every which way. Every second a bullet came flying from a different location, hidden from the trees. Danny ducked, dodged and blocked, but the rounds were breaking away his armour. There was a brief pause, and then bullets came from every angle of the park... at the exact same time.

Danny jumped into the air to avoid the bullets, but then, something impossible happened: The bullets merged into one single round, and flew right up towards him.

_What the hell is going on!?_

Danny reached behind him, and drew a katana. With a swingle swipe, he deflected the bullet safely away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the vampire faze into view, and deliver a powerful kick. Danny plummeted downward, but then the vampire materialized in front of him and kicked him away at a different angle. Then again after not a second of air time. Danny began to gain momentum with each blow, as he was being bounced around at high speed, his armour breaking and cracking, and he himself feeling incredible pain. Through the pain, his mind raced at a mile a minute.

_What the FUCK!? He can't be using mist form, or even bats, none of those could travel fast enough! He's hitting me, moving from point A to B across vast distances with only milliseconds to spare! How is he doing this!? And that trick with the bullets? Many becoming one? It's like something out of a Quantum Theory documentary! It's almost like... Wait!_

**"THAT'S IT!"**

He stopped flying as he was kicked upwards. As if to confirm his theory, Alucard floated in front of him. His form distorted again, and suddenly, countless thousands of Alucards appeared, filling every space in a giant sphere around Danny.

**"Game over!"** The Alucards yelled in chorus. They whipped out their Casulls and fired. Danny raised his cloak and spun, wrapping himself in a tight cocoon. The bullets bounced and ricocheted off the hardened sphere. Finally, they stopped firing, and the duplicates drifted toward the original, merging into a single vampire. The cloaked fell apart, and turned to smoke.

"Heh. Not bad. You even survived that." Alucard spun around in mid-hover to catch a katana in between his clapped hands, a wild grin on his face.

"You truly are full of surprises, I'm impressed!** I'M IMPRESSED, 'ANGEL OF DEATH'!**"

Danny looked down on him, pressing with full force against the master vampire.

**"Omnipresence. Manipulating quantum physics. Many becoming one, being in multiple places at once. That's how you did it! With such power at your disposal, you can literally be 'everywhere and nowhere' at the same time."**

Alucard laughed maniacally.

"You even figured that out! You're truly something else.** Killing you will truly be a worthwhile experience!**"

He fazed from existence again, and Danny felt a devastating blow from behind send him to the ground. He got up and staggered. He clenched his gut and started to cough up blood. Panting and wheezing, he tried to pull himself together.

_Dammit, come on!_

Suddenly, his muscles started to lock up. It felt like he had a hard workout and forgot to stretch multiplied a hundred fold. His hands became shaky... and he was getting thirsty.

_...Shit... It's already happening... I have to wrap this up quick... No more playing around, it's time to end this!_

Danny got to his feet, still clutching his stomach with one arm.

_I've almost got him figured out. He's trying to shake me up, keep me at a distance. He's teleporting whimsically to create confusion and try to expose a weak-point. He may be insane, but once he sees a weakness he'll plan his next move to exploit that weakness, and that makes him predictable. He'll use it to break me, then he'll move in close to boast, and deliver the final blow._

Alucard zipped around, firing multiple shots which broke through Danny's armour. He fell to his knees, and began to bleed.

_Well? I'm weak and broken. Come and finish me._

Alucard materialized some distance behind him.

"Well, it looks like you finally coughed up." Danny didn't respond. Alucard stalked towards him.

"You're fast, skilled, and well above most vampires I've met. But it seems you're still nothing more than a punk weakling." He laughed.

" 'Angel of Death?' There's already been one who carried that name, and he's long dead," He grasped Danny by the back of the neck and hoisted him up.

"You two can share stories of your battles with me in Hell!" He readied his other arm, prepared to spear his enemy through the heart.

!

Alucard stood stunned as his free hand went flying away, cut off by the cloak, which had formed a blade. Danny grabbed Alucard's arm, and tightened his grip with force that matched the No-Life Kind's own strength. Slowly, he turned his head, and looked at him with murderous intent.

**"Jokes on you."**

Silver chains sprung out and wrapped themselves around Alucard's arms and legs, binding them together. Danny twisted the arm holding him and broke it with ease, and swung himself around to face Alucard. Gripping the chains in his left hand by wrapping them around his forearm and fingers, Danny reached into his belt with his right hand and tossed an object into the air. It flipped a few times before Danny caught it and held it up high: A golden rosary cross. Alucard could feel power radiating from it, and it seemed to grow in Danny's grasp.

**"Holy Invocation: Black Soul Sealing!"**

_WHAT!? _Alucard mentally yelled, _Impossible! A vampire can't use exorcism! The holy energies would destroy him before he could complete the ritual! There's no way-!_

The cross began to glow with a bright light, and it seemed to translate into the chains as runic scriptures seemed to light up. Alucard's body smoked and steamed, and the light began to blind him.

_**"Sanctum Deo in excelsis, sanctis apostolis, Sancta Maria, Mater Deo, et Salvatoris Christi Domini mei, exaudi orationem meam; Obsecro te ut des viribus mundum purget malis insontes et iustos et impios excutiet**_** terra!"**

**(Holy God on high, saintly apostles, holy Mary, Mother of God, Christ my lord and savior, hear my prayer! I call upon you to lend me your strength to purge the world of evil, to protect the innocent and the righteous, and banish the wicked from the Earth!)**

Danny brought the cross in front of Alucard, who almost instinctively tried to turn his face from the brightness. His skin began to char, and small flames began to spark.

_**"In nomine Patris et Filii nomine, in nomine Spiritus Sancti! Eduxero vos de tenebris ad lucem! Et derelinquam vos et in vinculis constringo vos in igne oblivio!"**_

**(In the name of the Father, In the name of the Son, In the name of the Holy Spirit! I bring you from darkness, into light! I bind you in chains and cast you into the fires of oblivion!)**

Danny clutched the cross in his palm, drew back his arm, and struck with all the force he could muster.

**"Saintly Burning Bondage!"**

The cross struck in the center of the vampire's chest, and locked with the chains. The force crushed Alucard's ribcage and ruptured his insides, but he could not regenerate. He was sent flying back. The cross sent out a wave of power, and bright flames engulfed the vampire. Alucard yelled in pain, and twisted on the ground. Hi face contorted and charred, but everything else remained seemingly unburnt. Then, the flames died down. Only where the chains touched did smaller fires continue to burn in curving lines. Alucard was on his knees, beaten, broken...defeated. He looked up at Danny, who held his sword at his throat.

**"Checkmate, Alucard."**

Alucard growled in defiance. He was not pleased with the turn of events. He was angry, angry at this vampire turned hunter who had beaten him. He was angry that somehow he was able to use that power that should be unusable to vampires to bring him to his knees. But most of all, he was angry that...

"...I can't believe I actually fell for that!" He growled under his breath.

**"Did you not hear me when I told you all war is based on deception? NEVER let your guard down in front of an enemy. Had you focused on the fight at hand and less on the theatrics, you may have seen this move coming, and been able to destroy me."**

"Don't you lecture ME, you bastard!"

**"Watch yourself. Or I might just kill you right now."**

Alucard narrowed his eyes.

"Why are we talking? Why haven't you tried to killed me already?"

Danny remained silent a moment, then lowered his blade from Alucard's neck.

**"My intention was never to kill you, vampire. Not that I could,"** he sheathed the sword, **"You eliminated that option the moment you demonstrated that unique power to me during our fight. So long as you wish to live, so long as you 'believe' you exist, you shall. 'You think, therefore, you ARE.' No amount of my limited exorcist skills will be able to overcome that."**

Alucard smiled briefly.

"That's why I used the word 'try.'" He said cockily. But his smile quickly vanished.

"Now what?"

Danny turned and began to walk away. Alucard was surprised at this. He snarled and glared at the cloaked assassin.

"Where are you going!? HEY! I'm talking to you!"

He struggled in his bonds, which burned him more.

"**DON'T YOU DARE WALK AWAY FROM ME!**" He bellowed.

Danny turned around, then floated up into the air, his cloak beginning to circle around him.

**"We are not destined to be enemies, you and I. Different though we are."**

His body began to become smoky again, and a whirlwind seemed to pick up around him.

**"Good show, Alucard. I hope the fight was satisfactory. We'll meet again, very soon. Till then, goodbye."**

The wind grew stronger, his body whirled like a tornado, then burst into a swarm of bats. The chains stopped burning Alucard. He looked around, scanned with his third eye, but he could find no trace of the hunter.

"How annoying..."

He heard a crack, and looked down. The cross cracked again, and again, and suddenly it shattered, and the chains broke with it, falling off Alucard. The vampire stood, holding the broken emblem in his hands. He walked out onto the grass, and peered up into the sky.

"...Who was that?"

* * *

An hour later, Alucard was in an armoured car, being driven to the airport to catch an immediate flight to London. He had already given the report on the coven's destruction and his encounter with the killer to Wilson. He was disappointed. The killer was still on the loose, but even worse was the idea of potential vampires in government. The intel Alucard had received was minimal, but valuable. The agency was now on full alert, and ready to do a thorough covert cleanup of the city. Presently, he was on the phone with Integra, retelling the story for the umpteenth time.

"_So not only did you fail to complete your mission, but you mean to tell me that this assassin is also a vampire, wiped out the entire coven single-handedly, AND managed to beat you using exorcism?"_

"To be fair, I WAS caught off guard, and the breed he was facing was a very weak strain, if I do say so myself."

Alucard knew, however, that this was not looking good on his part. He had failed, and he knew it. He hated it, and it drove him mad every time he thought about it. He swore to himself that the next time he caught sight of that caped bastard he'd blow him to Hell faster than he could blink.

_"I'm disappointed in you Alucard. But at the very least, you've armed the Americans with enough intel to keep their own vampire problems in check. For the_ _time being, it seems they'll have to worry about that 'Angel of Death' on their own."_

Alucard grumbled, "Doubtful that'll ever happen," he stepped out of the car and stated walking towards the boarding lounge, "It seemed to me like the destruction of that coven, and taking out the core vampire structure here, was his endgame, at least for operations in this city."

The agents followed him in. Just then, Alucard looked up at the Hellsing jet. A black shape was sitting on top of it.

_"I wonder what his next move will be then. Do you think he'll try to contact you again?"_

Alucard activated his third eye, and zoomed in on the shape. His eyes widened when he realized what he saw. Sitting there, casually as a crow sits on a building, was the cloaked killer, the 'Angel of Death.'

"Something tells me he will, sooner or later," He said, with purpose. "I'll have to call you back, master. I'm at the plane, I should be back in London soon."

_"I'll have some of my men waiting to pick you up. Hurry home, there's more work to be done."_

Alucard pressed the button on his phone, and tucked it away in his pocket. He turned to the agents behind him.

"Thank you, gentlemen. You may leave now."

They looked at each other for a moment, and then nodded in confirmation. They turned and headed back to the car. When it was well out of sight, Alucard opened the door, and began to walk across the airfield, to the plane.

...

**"Beautiful night for flying, don't you think?"**

He was sitting with one leg propped up, arm resting on it. Alucard just kept his eyes narrowed, his face full of anger.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't shoot you through the heart right now."

The black assassin tilted his head.

**"And here I thought a vampire of your age and calibre wouldn't take defeat so personally."** He sighed. He jumped down and landed before Alucard.

**"I told you we'd meet again soon. Did you forget? Or did you simply not care?"**

Alucard remained silent. Every fibre of his being wanted nothing more than to rip this man to shreds. But something in the deepest darkest recesses of his twisted mind told him that it may be better to hear this creature out. And so he was kept at bay.

**"This plane is headed for London, right? Back to your organization. The 'Hellsing' Organization."** The assassin said, running his hand alongside the plane.

Alucard growled in annoyance.

"Yes. A place that shouldn't be common knowledge to our enemies." His hand drifted towards his Casull.

**"I told you didn't I?** **The coven here was well connected. When you were interrogating that woman for info, you neglected to notice one of their spies waiting outside the building. He was sent to kill her, but when he saw the great Alucard walking out..."**

He let the sentence hang. Alucard pieced the rest together.

"So you found him and interrogated him to find the vampires. And you stumbled across us by accident."

**"More or less,"** he confirmed, **"And I fully understand. It doesn't benefit an organization of hunters such as yourselves any good when an unknown factor knows of your existence. One that is either your enemy... or someone you are not yet able to control."**

Alucard stared at him.

"You're getting at something. Tell me, what was the purpose of fighting me earlier?"

**"Well for one, you were asking for it..."**

Alucard snarled at this.

**"Don't give me that, you were eager to have a go at me and I simply obliged." **The killer said.

**"But you're right, there was another motive to it. I wanted to give you a more complete demonstration of my abilities, in addition to doing your mission for you."** He gestured with his hand.

**"Consider it my... resume and application."** He said.

Alucard raised an eyebrow.

"Resume and application?"

The cloak began to move again, and Alucard readied himself for whatever was coming.

**"Please, allow me to introduce myself."**

The cloak enveloped the figure, merged with it, and the being began to change shape. His body shifted into shadow-matter, like Alucard used, and began to take shape. When it was done, Alucard stood looking at a totally different figure. A boy, about 17 years of age. He wore blue jeans, black sneakers, and a blue track jacket with white striped down the sleeves, and a white undershirt. He had a pale complexion, and short brown hair, spiked up in the front. His eyes were blood red with slits, like Alucards, and he had an expression of emotionlessness on his face.

"My name is Daniel Cruz," he said, "and with your permission, I would like to join the Hellsing Organization."

* * *

**Ugh, FINALLY! Sorry it's so late, but I've had a lot of stuff on my shoulders and just didn't have the time. I'm gonna get it rolling though, don't worry. It was difficult trying to figure out how to write the fight scene. My problem is that I can imagine all kinds of cool moves, but I don't think I'm good at writing them in a way that can make feel as quick and packed as it needs to be. If any of you write fight scenes, I'd like some advice. And my I just say, describing that shadowy, fiery, blood-tendril-darkness...STUFF that Alucard and Seras use as it appears in Hellsing ultimate is hard and annoying as FUCK! Hopefully you guys will understand the descriptions.**

**Alucard's "Everywhere and Nowhere" ability. I was trying to describe it as it appeared in OVA 10, at the end of Hellsing. I also envisioned it to be similar to the way Slenderman "Slenderwalks", hence the TV static analogy. Hope it made sense.**

**Don't worry, I don't want to make Danny to OP. Alucard is still stronger, and believe me, the kid's gonna get his ass kicked in the next chapter!(But by who? Not telling! :P )**

**Anyway, please review! And follow if you want, but it's not necessary. I like reviews more. :3**


	4. Welcome to Hellsing (Order: 01)

**Special Shout out to Super Tifa for the super awesome review. Thanks for your support! 3**

**Chapter 4**

It was midday when they arrived in London. The sky was overcast with gray clouds, making the daytime, at the very least, tolerable for the two undead. The whole trip, Danny had been totally silent. Alucard found himself wondering why he had ever agreed to this. Curiosity maybe? No other vampire had ever willingly volunteered to work for humans, to protect them from their own kind. Some bizarre fascination? This boy, if could really only be called a boy, was by no means ordinary. To have put up such a good fight, and have used those powers, Alucard could not deny that this specimen was indeed a curious find.

Then again, it was probably just another whim. Still, this was certainly going to be an interesting day. Integra would no doubt be intrigued by this newest recruit. But would she allow him in? Or simply order his death?

_Either way, It means more fun for me, _Alucard grinned to himself.

Danny, was deep in thought. Everything was progressing as he had hoped. He kept his appearance calm, neutral, yet focused, but on the inside he was burning with excitement and anticipation.

_This could go in so many different directions. But then again, I could also end up worse then when I started off. I can't screw up now. I've come too far._

"We're here."

"Hm?" Danny snapped from his trance.

"Well? You coming?" Alucard stood outside, holding the car door open.

"Yeah," he got out and stood up, "I can just leave my stuff in the trunk for now, right?"

"That'll be fine," Alucard said, "No sense in moving in before she's decided whether or not to kill you."

"On second thought, maybe I ought to take a smoke bomb, for good luck." Danny said casually.

"Funny." Alucard said.

They walked up to the giant oak doors, and two of the guards held them open. Danny had to admit, the mansion was a nice setup. They were standing in a giant landing, with nice marble floors, and a large, expensive looking carpet mat on the landing. A large staircase led to the upper floors.

"Follow me." Alucard said. Danny obeyed.

They walked up the stairs, the turned left down a long hallway, until the came to a stop just outside one door in particular.

"Wait on the bench here."

Danny took his seat without question.

Alucard went inside, and closed the door behind him.

Several minutes passed. Danny could feel the adrenaline and anxiety going straight to his stomach. He knew he had to keep his cool if he were to have a snowballs chance in Hell of convincing this Integra lady that he could be trusted.

_I already have several factors going for me. I've proven my strength to her mightiest asset, and I've demonstrated how "different" I am from others of my kind. The fact that I've approached them in this way, vulnerable, at their mercy, demonstrates how serious I am about this. And the fact that I'm here shows that they trust me enough to at least want to speak with me. This is the last stretch of the race. I just need to make it past this one barrier..._

He could hear several voices inside. He was tempted to eavesdrop using his vampiric hearing, but thought better of it. He needed them to trust him, however minimally, in order for this to work. Finally, he heard Alucard's footsteps heading towards the door.

_This is it. My moment. My one shot._

The door opened, and Alucard walked past him.

"She's ready for you know."

Danny stood up, and started heading for the door.

_No room for error. No chance for mistakes. It's now or never._

He opened the door. Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

"You wanted to see me?"

Sir Integra looked up from her desk. Danny took full note of her appearance. She wore a black business suit, a white collar undershirt and red tie. Her long hair was blond, yet slightly faded. She had a few wrinkles on her face, but overall her appearance was very fair and lovely. Most distinguishing about her though, was the eyepatch over her left eye.

"Yes. Step inside, Daniel."

Danny complied and walked forward. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, like a soldier at ease. This fact did not escape the Hellsing heir, as she looked him over.

_Professional, skilled, formal. Traits characteristic of someone with military training._

"You've been causing a lot of stir recently, haven't you?"

Danny smiled.

"All the better to get your attention. You guys aren't exactly on Craigslist, you know."

"Quite." Integra opened a tin, removing a cigar and lighting it. She took a long drag before speaking again.

"Over two hundred vampires killed. Six of them some of the oldest and most well-connected in the world. You interrupt a top secret mission, SOMEHOW manage to beat my subordinate in combat, and now you stand before me asking if I will allow you to become one of us."

She leant forward and fixed Danny with a hard stare.

"Now what I want to know... Is why?"

There was a pause before Danny spoke again. His expression never changed during that time. He was focused, determined. He knew that he had only one chance at this, and he had to make it count. Not just for his sake... but for _theirs_ to.

"You find it difficult to trust me, don't you? Because I'm the only one of my kind who has ever even fathomed doing something like this... Because I'm a **vampire**."

"Yes," Integra said, still staring him down, "that is the gist of it."

Danny sighed, and put his hands in his pockets, adopting a more relaxed stance.

"I suppose the best answer I can give you is that it's 'mutual advantage.'"

"Mutual advantage?" Integra inquired.

"Yes," Danny said, "because despite your best efforts, despite your wealth, your power, and your connections, the fact of the matter is vampires are still in abundance. Not only are they in abundance, but they're getting stronger every day. As the incident in New York has clearly demonstrated, they've started adopting new ways of hiding themselves, and gaining power."

Taking hint from her prospect, Integra sat back into her chair, before taking another drag from her cigar.

"Go on."

"I've been fighting this coven for many years. I've drank the blood of one of their elders. I have knowledge that your organization can make full use of:

"Resting house locations, coven headquarters locations, network passwords, names, faces, addresses, aliases, anything and everything you need to launch a major systematic covert take-down operation, or an open assault, on the vampire race. However..."

Danny folded his arms, and narrowed his eyes.

"...All knowledge comes at a price."

"I see." Integra replied, her gaze relaxing a bit.

"And why are you so eager to sell out your own kin?"

Danny glared at her.

"Don't use that word to associate me with them. I have no love nor any feeling of camaraderie for those creatures. My true kin died out ages ago."

Integra gauged his expression. No kinship, no loyalty to those whose blood he shares. Another unusual trait for a vampire. The more she interviewed the creature standing before her, the more it unnerved her, As though everything she knew about vampires was nothing.

"And besides," Danny relaxed, "I've watched them long enough to know where that path would lead. I've seen enough apocalypse films to know what the end result would be, and I've lived long enough to figure out how to survive. If these guys had their way, one of two things would happen."

"And what would those be?" Integra asked, though she figured she already knew the answer.

"Let's say things go their way," Danny said, "Vampires grow larger in number. Too large to keep themselves hidden. It's a modern day fact of the digital age that It's almost impossible for large independent groups to keep secrets for long after too many people get in on it. From there, we head to war. A war of massive scale that would leave well over fifty percent of the global population dead, and likely result in a potential nuclear holocaust as humanity's last resort to cull the undead. In short, armageddon.

" In the post apocalypse, everyone will be scrounging and competing for resources. There won't be enough food for the humans, and not enough blood for the vampires. And with a whimper, the world ends. And that's assuming I live through the nuclear holocaust! Now let's take a look at a slightly different version, in which before the war even starts, the majority of people are turned, and the vampires win. Then what? We'll live in a modern vampire-ruled age, with all the benefits mortals have, but instead of an oil-crisis, we'll have a blood crisis as less and less humans are able to be captures and drained for blood! Then we have mass anarchy, tyranny, another war, and we all die in the end. Again."

Danny took a long pause before continuing.

"Of course, that's assuming the idiots even get as far as to start a war in the first place! Chances are, once they get too big, the world's paranormal combat forces..."

He made a gesture towards Integra.

"And the rest of the world's armies come crashing down on us, and wipe us out before we get the chance. Like a tumor that avoids detection because it's small, it eventually grows large enough to be noticed, and is cut out. No matter how badly those pretentious monsters may want it, vampires were never meant to openly rule. It is simply not convenient for me to watch all the food get drunk dry, nor is it in my interest to reveal their existence to the world and endanger my own. Whether it was by his will or not, the fact is that your vampire, Alucard, has been living the dream."

Integra raised an eyebrow at this.

"Living the dream?"

Danny nodded, "Yes. He gets food, protection, and anonymity from the world. In exchange, the people of England rest easy, for their nights are guarded by one of the fiercest creatures ever to walk the earth. It's perfect, really."

Integra took a moment to take all of this in. Now she was starting to understand where all of this was going. This vampire, this "Daniel Cruz," had been making valid arguments throughout the interview. Things were making more and more sense the more she thought about them. If vampires got the upper hand, it would only make things difficult for all sides. And yet... something still didn't seem right.

"Why not simply live as a traditional vampire? In hiding, taking only what you need to live? Why take the risk by coming to me?"

"I've already told you, Sir Integra... That is your title, right?"

Integra nodded, so Danny continued.

"Living in the shadows, on my own, leaves me with little options. Either I get killed by some vampire hunter like Alucard, or even worse, I get captured and experimented on by the government. Imagine how scientists would react to having a real life vampire to play with."

Danny stepped forward, and took a seat in one of the chairs opposite Integra's desk, feeling the atmosphere appropriate to take a small liberty.

"Sir Integra Hellsing. I'm a wanted man back home. As a vigilante murderer, and for... other things that I'm far from proud of. The entire vampire populous is also after my head now. My offer is simple. I will grant you access to all the intel I possess, as well as pledge my service to you as one of your assassins. I will find, fight, and kill as many monsters as you send me to kill. I will kill them without mercy or hesitation. I will be as perfect a soldier as you could want."

He sat forward in his seat, and clasped his hands together.

"In exchange, I want to make this place my new home. I want food to keep me going, a comfortable bed and roof over my head, and most of all, complete anonymity. I literally want to become invisible. To disappear from society. Should any rumor spring up of someone with my appearance, or anyone of the law inquire about me, I want them to only turn up a cold trail when they look here. This is the deal I'm making.

"Now, I ask you, with full respect to you and your servants... what is your answer?"

Integra thought about this long and hard. The room was starting to smell very strongly of cigar smoke. The one in Integra's mouth was almost completely burnt out. Danny had laid out all of his cards out on the table, made his purpose clear, and completely laid himself at her feet. Everything made sense. He could see that vampires weren't going to make it as they were, so he was going to go the route that allowed him to live longest. The intel he possessed was vital to Hellsing's future operations, as their funding depended directly on the progress they made. Still, Integra couldn't help but shake the feeling that something was off. That this vampire wasn't telling the full truth. But was her suspicion justified? Or was it only under the pretense that as a vampire, his intents were always inherently malicious?

Finally Integra stood, and walked around her desk to stand in front of him. Even to the vampire sitting, she was pretty intimidating, standing like that.

"Make no mistake, vampire," she said in a low voice, "You will be put under extreme scrutiny. If I or anyone under my command so much as even suspects you of treason, you will not be so lucky as that time on Liberty Island. Understand?"

Danny's eyes widened slightly, his cool weakening for a moment.

"Then, do you mean to say...?"

Integra's expression softened. Not by much, but enough for Danny to notice.

"Go collect your things from the car. I'll have one of my servants prepare a room for you. You have your own coffin, I assume?"

Danny stood and nodded.

"Albeit prepared at the last minute. It wasn't until a few days ago that the notion of overseas travel struck me as possible."

Integra walked towards the door.

"Then there should be no issue in setting up a permanent residence for you here. But remember," she turned in the doorway to face him, "from this moment on you are under probation. You are not permitted to leave the property unless it is by my orders. You will stay either inside the manor or on the grounds. You will not harm or drink from ANY of the personnel here, and you will treat all Hellsing officers as your immediate superiors. That goes for Alucard as well."

_Well, nothing's perfect I suppose,_ Danny thought.

"Understood, Sir Integra."

"Good. Now go collect you things. I'll have one of my servants bring you a meal and then you can rest. You must be tired after all that has transpired."

Danny smiled lightly.

"Yes, thank you Sir Integra."

He bowed slightly, and Integra gave a wave of her hand for him to be dismissed. She went to the servant's quarters and ordered a few of them to see to Danny's things. As she walked down the hallway to her own bedroom, she prayed that she made the right choice allowing him in.

"So, you let him stay." Alucard said, materializing beside her.

"He possesses intel that is valuable to Hellsing. I can't let that slip. Besides, I doubt he'd come all this way to try anything."

Alucard growled as he walked alongside his master.

"Why bother with him at all, master? You know, I'm dying for a rematch against this shit head punk..."

"NO," said Integra flatly, "I don't need you two leveling the mansion on his first day."

Integra opened the door to her room and walked in. Alucard remained in the doorway.

"Do you think he can be trusted?"

Integra sat on her bedside.

"Honestly, I have no idea. We know almost nothing about him save that he was turned at a very young age, clearly has no kinship towards other vampires, and is experienced in killing them."

She slipped off her coat, and lay on her back, gazing up at the ceiling.

"Still... there's something different about him. Something I can't quite place..."

* * *

Danny watched as the servants heaved his coffin into his new room. It was a large casket, lined with a mattress and the usual bedding accommodations. Beneath the mattress lay soil from his birthplace. He preferred this setup, mostly because it was more akin to an actual bed, and therefore felt more normal.

"There!" The servant huffed, "that's the last of it."

"Thank you," Danny said, "You can go now. I'll finish the rest of the setup myself."

"Certainly sir." The servants bowed. A knock came at the door and a short, rather flustered-looking maid stepped in with a small ice box.

"S-sir. Your meal..."

Danny took the icebox, and opened it. Inside were about ten I.V. blood packets of various types. He looked back up at the maid.

"Thank you. That will be all. I can manage on my own, now."

The three servants bowed again and exited, the maid closing the door behind her as she left.

Danny breathed out a sigh of relief as he relaxed. He had been tense and high-strung the whole time, even after Integra hired him. Now, all was done. The first major leap towards his goal had been achieved.

_'I still have a long ways to go,'_ He thought to himself, as he rearranged his belongings.

_'But... I'm off to a good start..."_

He looked around his finished room. In the center, his coffin, with a new mattress and blanket. To the right of the room, his provided wardrobe, and what little clothes he had. He also had a desk and chair that came with the room, where he set most of his belongings. He had brought several weapons, including a pair of modified Colt m1911s, a customized AK-74u, a shotgun, a katana, and a combat knife. By his bed and near the window, the largest of his possessions, a rotating wooden dummy with multiple protrusions. A Wing-Chun dummy. On the desk, he had a small silver cross bound by beads, an iPod Touch, and a photo of him and his mother and father, standing in Central Park.

He walked over to the desk, and held the photo in his hands. There smiling faces, carefree and joyous, a perfect match to the sunny summer day that this was took. So warm... So close... Danny felt a pang of sorrow hit him in the stomach.

"It never gets any easier," he said aloud to himself, "I used to wake up every day and hope this was all a horrible nightmare. That you'd be yelling at me to wake up to go to school, or to Church, or some family outing that I would've rather passed on. How I took those days for granted..."

He set the photo back on the desk and picked up the iPod. He then grabbed a packet from the icebox and tore off the top, then proceeded to drink from the tube like a straw. The blood was cool, sweet, and soothing to his pallet. The blood washed down his throat with ease, and his muscles relaxed as he felt a small rush of pleasure from the treat. His body seemed to feel immediately stronger. He felt calm, secure. He also began to feel a familiar eagerness, a wanting, a lust for more as he finished the last drop. The blood is life. The blood is power...

_'Stop it.'_

Danny snapped out of his brief trance.

_'What the hell are you on about? It's nothing special. It's just nourishment. Fuel. Nothing more than a nutrition beverage. That's _**_it._**_'_

Danny grit his teeth as he disposed of the empty bag. He opened the lid to his coffin and slipped inside, sliding it shut as he slid beneath the covers and put the earbuds in.

_'One step at a time. I'll tell them all that I know. I'll point them in the right direction. And they will lead right to _**_him_**_."_

The song began to play in his ears as he relished the idea of vengeance. It had been his whole purpose, his driving motive: to find the one who orchestrated the deaths of his parents, robbed him of his humanity, and left him for dead.

"When I find him, he'll wish he had killed me when he had the chance..."

"_Take a last look a-round, while you're a-live,_

_I'm an IN-DES-TRUC-TI-BLE, MASTER OF WAR!"_

* * *

"This is quite disturbing."

Integra sat at her desk, reviewing pages upon pages worth of information. Danny had held up his end of the bargain without hesitation. Presently, she was looking at several maps, showing over 106 different vampire strongholds around the globe; reviewing a historical account of all their major operations up until now, which included several military interventions, acts of terrorism, and manipulation of several major political figureheads; and the public identities of the major players in this global vampire conspiracy.

"The little brat was right on the money. We've been hammering at these monsters for years, and we've barely made a dent. We've only managed to keep the majority of Great Britain clean of vampires."

Alucard stood behind her, looking over the data with a keen eye.

"They've been largely passive up till now. I wonder how long that will last."

"Well, at least I know that our new recruit has at least some scrap of honesty about him."

She organized the papers into an envelope, then filed it away into one of her desk drawers. Alucard grinned slightly.

"I suppose that means you're going to be letting the runt stay a while longer?"

Integra folded her hands and rested her chin on them, staring straight ahead.

"I'm a woman of my word. He held up his end, so I'll hold up mine. That doesn't mean his stay will be easy though."

She hit a button on her desk phone.

"Someone wake up the recruit and send him to me. It's time he started earning his keep."

"BZZT!- Yes Sir Integra!"

Alucard's smile grew wider.

"You're going to be testing him then?"

Integra nodded.

"I tend not to take things at face value. I want to see his combat abilities for myself."

* * *

_New York. It's night-time. The streets are dark, dank. I'm cold. I'm miserable. And I'm hungry. _**_Very_**_ hungry. I need to find an ambulance, or a hospital that isn't too occupied. I walk down the streets and keep my head covered behind my hood. How long have I been like this? It feels like it's only been a few days, but in reality it's been months. And where am I? I have nothing. No home, no money, and no power. I barely understand my what I am. And I have not gotten any closer to my goal. My goal... It enrages me every time I think of that damn bastard and what he did. I must find him, I must avenge their deaths! But at the rate I'm going, I'll never get there. I can't hold a normal job. I need something else. Something that pays well, and will give me the training and skills I need to do what's necessary._

_BANG! BANG!_

_Gunshots! Where...?_

_"Shit! You crazy asshole!"_

_Two thugs are attacking someone. He's unarmed, defenseless. Nice suit. Must be wealthy. No surprise he's getting mugged, in this neighborhood._

_"Well if it isn't our good buddy Dmitri! You've been a real thorn in our side for a long time..."_

_"Once we bring him to the boss, they'll have no choice but to concede to our demands."_

_He's being kidnapped. Hostaged. So calm, though._

_"You better kill me now, cause when my father and brothers find you, you'll beg them to kill you long before they let you die!"_

_Light Russian accent. Has the attitude of a daddy's boy. Probably some spoiled rich-guy. The big guy punches him hard, draws blood. Blood... my fangs grow and my teeth sharpen, and I can feel my mouth watering. My muscles tense up. I feel like a tiger staring at a deer. Unaware, helpless, shamefully ignorant of it's fate._

_"Shut up, bitch! You're in no position to be making idle threats."_

_Don't get involved. Don't let the thirst get to you. Walk away._

_"I'm gonna enjoy cutting up your pretty-boy face!"_

_Ignore the knife. Don't get involved... If you don't, he'll die..._

_They hoist him up and start beating on him again. You don't even know him... But should that matter?_

_"Shove him in the trunk."_

_I've made up my mind._

_"Move it you little Shi-!"_

_My first blow catches him in the side of the head, and I feel his skull bust. The skin splits with his head, and blood and brains go flying._

_"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST! WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU!?"_

_I grab him by the neck and hoist him up in one hand._

_"Attacking a man who's unarmed, two on one. You despicable coward."_

_I throw him with as much force as I can into a wall, it cracks and he slumps. I have no idea If I've broken any bones or if he's just knocked out. And I don't care._

_"Holy shit... Thanks man. If you hadn't come along I'd have been fucked!"_

_"Don't thank me. I didn't do it to save you," I turn and face him, "I've just really wanted to do something like that to these assholes for a while. You just gave me an excuse."_

_He stands up, and dusts himself off._

_"Well, that aside I'm still grateful. Shit, you really took 'um down! Oh, I'm Dmitri. Dmitri Korvichev."_

_He extends his hand, and I return the handshake in kind._

_"Danny. Crusnikov."_

_"Interesting name. You Russian to?"_

_"Half. I'm Russian-Hungarian. But I'm fluent in the language."_

_He smiles._

_"That's good enough for me. Hey, what do you do? Where do you live, friend?"_

_Seriously? The rags didn't do it for you? The cheap hoodie? The fact I'm wandering around at this hour with no friends around? OBVIOUSLY I'm an Arabian Prince. I have a palace, mountains of gold and a fucking elephant to ride to school. What the FUCK do you think!?_

_"Nothing and nowhere, 'friend.' I've been without home or job for months now. No family either. They were killed a while ago."_

_His eyes suddenly grow sympathetic._

_"They were? Let me guess: someone pissed off the wrong person and the next thing you knew, it's a drive-by with AKs and six shooters?"_

_Just go with it. Not like he'd believe the truth anyway._

_"Something like that."_

_He smiles again, and throws his arm around me, catching me off guard._

_"Well then fear no more friend! Listen, I work for some people that could use a guy of your talents. We're and independent business that deals with some... 'unusual' products. My father runs the business, and I'm sure I could get you in you want. Think of it as a thank you for saving my ass! What do you say?"_

_Family business? Unusual products? I'm almost 99.9% sure I know where this is going. Under normal circumstances I'd brush this guy off and report him to the authorities without hesitation. But I'm not in a normal circumstance. Besides, where else do I have to go? And now that I think about it, this could be my chance. I can get the money, the training, and the gear I'll need to wage my crusade._

_"...Sure, I'll go."_

_Mother, forgive me._

_"Excellent! My car's just over there, we'll be at the hotel in no time."_

_A nice ride two. Lambourgini. Glad to see this guy is subtle._

_We drive for a few seconds before I decide to ask the obvious question._

_"Normally when you kill two people in the open, the witness doesn't offer you employment. Combining that with your nationality, and the way you described your so-called 'family business'... Tell me, is this what I think it is?"_

_He looks over at me._

_"Probably. Does that change things?"_

_I've already made up my mind, of course. It doesn't really matter. I just wanted to know all the facts first._

_"No."_

_He smiles again._

_"Something tells me that you're gonna fit right in, Danny."_

* * *

Danny woke with a start when he heard knocking on his coffin. The lid began to creak open slightly, with great hesitation. He opened it fully, and the maid in question jumped in surprise.

"Yes?" Danny asked.

"Um, Sir Integra would like to see you in her office right away!"

_'Best not to keep the princess waiting, then,'_ he mused.

He opened the door to Integra's office to find her and Alucard present and waiting for him. The sun had just gone down behind the hills, and the night was only getting younger.

"You wanted to see me, Sir Integra?"

"Yes." Integra said, taking a drag from her cigar.

"Tonight you begin your first mission as an operative of the Hellsing Organization. We've just received report of a ghoul outbreak in Wales, and reports mention and least one vampire leading them. They've taken up residence in an ruined castle. You are to head to their stronghold, purge the ghoul horde, and eliminate any vampires you find."

"Search and Destroy. I like it. Simple and effective." Danny smirked.

"Exactly," Integra confirmed, "We give no quarter to our enemies. Those who oppose us will be cut down without hesitation or remorse!"

She stood from her chair and leaned towards Danny, resting her hands on her desk.

"Use any means necessary. Do not leave any freak alive! These are your orders, Daniel Cruz!"

Danny clenched his fists, the anticipation of a fight, the opportunity to pacify his compulsion for vengeance through the slaughter of another monster rippling through him.

"Understood, Sir Integra. It shall be done."

Integra sat back down.

"Good. Captain Richards!"

"MA'AM!"

A man dressed in the Hellsing Special Forces combat fatigues and standard gear entered and stood at attention.

"Danny, this is Captain Richards. He will be your Commanding Officer for this mission. What he says goes. Captain, I leave him in your hands."

He snapped off a salute before turning and motioning Danny to follow him, to which he complied.

After leaving the main household they began walking across the grounds to a large warehouse.

"So you're Integra's newest 'pet,' eh?"

He had a gruff, growly voice, and a cockney accent.

"I'm a full-fledged employee, according to her." Danny scowled.

The Captain scoffed.

"Same difference. I guess you are a bit of an anomaly though. Coming here on your own, and even taking on old Red in a brawl! I was surprised by that even more than I was at finding out you're not one of his fledgelings."

"**One** of his fledgelings?" He raised an eyebrow, "Exactly how many vampires does that lady Integra have under her boot?"

Captain Richards laughed a heavy laugh before continuing.

"Well, including you there's three. The only one you haven't met is the Police Girl, but I'm sure you'll get acquainted soon enough when she gets back."

"Police Girl?" Danny questioned.

"Seras Victoria. Recruited her about ten years back, during a ghoul outbreak in Cheddar. Somehow got fatally wounded, and old Red thought it would be a great idea to turn her."

Danny frowned at this.

"He turned her? Did she know what she was getting into? Did she even understand what was happening?"

" 'Ell if I know, but she certainly doesn't seem to be complaining! And with a girl as lovely as her around, I don't think any of the men are complaining either, if ya catch my drift!"

He laughed loudly as he opened the door to the warehouse. Danny simply rolled his eyes as he walked in. Once inside however, his eyes widened at the military eye-candy that was before him.

Soldiers ran back and forth carrying out multiple tasks. Several transport helicopters lay inside, and one in particular was being prepped for take-off.

"That Merlin HC3 is your ticket in and out," Richards pointed to the Heli, "We're going to fly you high up and set you up just outside the combat zone, where we know the ghouls and other freaks are. You'll drop in, slaughter the buggers, and then be picked up and flown back home in time for blood and biscuits. Any questions?"

Danny looked it over briefly before turning back to the Captain.

"What gear am I getting?"

Captain Richards walked to an armored locker, and slid the sliding door back. Arms and ammunition lined the walls, as well as several spec-ops uniforms.

"Whatever you need. I also had the liberty of the maid bringing down your personal arms."

He pointed to Danny's weapons, spread out on a separate table.

"Well then, get suited up and let's get this show on the road!"

* * *

Night had at last fallen. The quiet disturbed only by the beating of the chopper rotor. Danny sat still. He was wearing the standard combat uniform, a headset, and an eye cam. The cam had satellite feed that displayed whatever he saw straight to monitors back at Hellsing. Integra was watching him through his eyes. And through the eyes of the chopper's spy-cam, no doubt. This was an evaluation. Danny knew this.

"We are approaching the drop-zone. ETA, one minute."

Danny checked his M6 LWRC. Safety off, magazine loaded. Pure silver, melted from a cross from Manchester Cathedral, and blessed in holy water. He had an under-barrel grenade launcher for heavy hitting, and a reflex sight for precision. He also carried his two combat pistols, 3 frag grenades, a Semtex pack, and his trusty katana. Perfect.

"30 seconds..."

He stood from his seat, and looked ahead. The ruined castle stood quite, but Danny knew better. Monsters were down there. And he would hunt them down.

"This is Raven One, we are clear for drop. Mission is a go."

Danny nodded to the pilot and readied his legs.

"See you later!"

He ran forward and leaped out, falling almost 500 meters. He flipped in the air once, then landed on his feat. His bones didn't even quake. He bolted across the open field, his speed clocking in just short of 100km/hr.

_'I gotta start evaluating the terrain, get a fix on my enemies.'_

He focused, diverting his power to his eyes. As a vampire, he always felt an unnartural "aura" of power the seemed to both surround him and penetrate him at the same time. When he focused this aura, he could amplify his strength, speed, and relfexes even farther past their standard enhancement. And if he focused just right, he could utilize some pretty disturbing abilities.

His eyes grew red, and the irises expanded as his pupils became slitted. Almost immediately, time seemed to slow down, and his vision seemed to take a whole new angle. The colours were different. No, colour had no real meaning to this new type of sight. It was a vision that could see every detail, and at any distance. Heat signatures, radiation, ethereal energies, magical barriers, the very _nature_ of an enemy, their _soul_. He could see it all. Quickly, he scanned the battlefield.

_'About 76 ghouls surrounding the main courtyard, about a kilometer away, and another twenty within. The vampire is on the top floor of the crumbling tower... with some overly-friendly female guests, I see...'_

Danny readied his rifle, and jumped over the wall. The ghouls were just wandering aimlessly, and didn't even think to look up.

Danny moved his finger to the trigger of the grenade launcher, still in midair. He aimed toward a particularly large cluster of ghouls, and fired.

The explosion took out at leas 16 of them, as they were scorched and turned to dust. Landing on his feet, Danny wasted no time in taking out the rest. Using his strength, reflexes, and vision, he landed perfect 3-burst shots to the head and heart. He dodged around them, letting the rifle go full auto and mowing down the wretched undead. To him they were little more than drunken sheep, stupidly stumbling along.

The rifle clicked, and he immediately loaded a new clip. Several dozen ghouls came out of graves, and started firing their own weapons, but Danny was two fast. He dodged around the projectiles with ease, and he charged forth. Whipping out his sword, he decapitated five in a row, without effort.

_'Now, let's clean up the rest of them.'_

Running, leaping, dodging, simultaneously shooting and sword fighting he cut down the ghouls with barely any effort. left, there goes an arm, two legs, a head. Thirty meters away, boom! Headshot. Seven enemies approaching from behind; decapitated. One left.

Danny charged, and struck the ghoul in the head with his sword-fist. As the ghoul lay helpless on the ground, moaning like the miserable thing it was, Danny raised his boot and delivered a fatal blow, splattering it's head. Turning around he walked towards the castle door.

"Now for the main course..."

* * *

Loud metal music was playing. In the room on the highest level, the manor's lord was thoroughly enjoying himself, indulging in the company of his three gorgeous brides. Their writhing, naked bodies caressing each other as - BOOM!

The side wall exploded and one of the brides was knocked away by a stray piece of rock. The smoke cleared, and Danny stood in the hole in the wall, sword over his shoulder, grenade belt in the other hand.

"Knock, knock."

Danny twirled the belt once before letting loose the three grenades into the air, which exploded in three parts of the room. Two of the brides were dead. The third came rushing at him, fangs bared, ready to avenge her fallen sisters and defend her master. Her bravado was cut short, quite literally, by a forged steel blade slicing her skull in two.

The vampire came in from behind, and started launching clawed strikes, growling like a feral tiger. Danny blocked and parried blows back and forth. He had studied multiple forms of martial arts including karate, sambo, wing-chun, and ninjutsu. This creature had no technique. It was fighting purely on instinct. Predictable, slow, and incompetent. After humoring it for a few more blows, Danny caught and deflected a blow aimed for his face, then twisted the arm behind it's back, and gripped it's head with his free arm.

"Now, **die**." Danny twisted the neck with such force that the head was twisted around 360 degrees. The creature fell down, but it's healing factor was already kicking in, and it was twitching violently. Danny pulled out his twin pistols, and aimed down at the creature.

"And the last little piggy, went crying all the way to hell. Oink, Oink, **Oink.**"

* * *

Integra and Alucard had seen the whole instance through the multiple camera angels of Danny's head cam, and the chopper's spy cam. The ghoul extermination, the final showdown (if you could even call it that), and even the body disposal. He had completed his mission in record time, and with shocking efficiency.

"He was able to evaluate the battlefield and locate his targets even as he hit the ground," Alucard pointed out, "He's clearly well versed in using his 'third eye.'"

Integra was more than satisfied.

"He'll make a fine addition. He's got the skill and strength needed to perform the job, and do it well. And unlike you, he doesn't waste time on bravado."

Alucard muttered something to himself about a 'ungrateful princess' and something like 'snap his little neck like a twig.' Integra grinned to herself. Not only was the new recruit an efficient soldier, but he would give her the ammo needed to irritate Alucard for a long time.

_"This is Danny calling Raven One. Mission Accomplished. Let's go back. I have blood and biscuits waiting for me back at HQ."_

_"Roger that, Raven One is circling back."_

When the aircraft got close enough, Danny simply jumped the distance and landed in the chopper as it flew by. Integra stood from her seat.

"Yes... He'll make a fine addition. A fine addition indeed." She exited her office, and prepared to meet her newest vampire and debrief him.

_'Our recruit is showing remarkable promise. I guess it's only to be expected from a vampire. He should have no problem fitting in.' _

She paused as she remembered something.

_'Oh, that's right. Our other soldier just got back from an over seas mission, and will be arriving any moment now.'_

She smiled to herself as she walked towards the mansion's main landing.

_"The two haven't met yet. I wonder what she'll think of him..."_

* * *

Alucard stood still at the monitor, re-looking over the footage. Particularly, the instance just before Danny jumped over the wall and began killing. A slight pause before the jump. And, something about his expression. Something his body did just before the massacre.

"Hmm... Interesting..."

* * *

The limousine pulled up past the Hellsing gate, and parked just before the main doors.

"Alright, miss, welcome back. Sir Integra's expecting you, as always."

"Thank you, Charles."

The door opened, and a women stepped out. She wore a red, female variant of the Hellsing corps uniform, with a short skirt, red stockings and red combat boots. Her hair was a messy blonde, and her eyes were red as blood. She closed her eyes and took a deep breathe of air.

"Ah, it's good to be back home."


	5. Meet and Greet!(Order: 02)

**Chapter 5**

Danny stepped out of the helicopter. Richards was already waiting for him at the back wall of the warehouse hanger.

"Went well, I presume?" He asked.

"I never really encountered ghouls before back in NY. I can understand why, now. They're slow, cumbersome, and attract way too much attention. Needless to say, they were no match for me."

"Good," Richards said, "and the vampire?"

Danny smirked.

"Barely a brawl. I think his brides might've put up a better fight if hadn't blown them to hell before they got the chance."

The report seemed to please the Captain, as a wide grin grew across his face.

"Excellent! I have a feeling you're gonna do just fine in the corps!"

His smile vanished as he seemed to come to a realization.

"Oh! That reminds me. Integra wanted me to send you over to her as soon as I debriefed you. Seemed pretty important, regarding the intel you gave her. She's waiting outside the mansion."

"I'll head to her straight away." Danny said.

"Might as well keep your gear on, while your at it," Richards remarked, "You might have to do another job sooner than you think."

Danny nodded and walked to the door.

"I have no problem with that."

...

Seras Victoria had only just returned from a mission in Northern England to find Alucard and Integra waiting for her on the steps of the mansion.

"Welcome home, Seras." Alucard said with a fond smile.

She had grown up so much over the years as a vampire. She used to be such an awkward, nervous fledgling, easily outmatched by stronger enemies such as Anderson, and even Zorin. But all that had changed. Now she was a vampire of the highest calibre, and could go toe to toe with any opponent. She was his pride and glory. And he couldn't help but feel a wave of pride and satisfaction wash over him every time he saw her.

Seras returned the smile in kind.

"It's great to see you to, master."

"Welcome back, Seras," Integra said, "I trust your mission was a success?"

Seras nodded.

"All targets eliminated, and the hostages safely returned to their homes. I even managed to wipe their memories all by myself!" She rubbed the back of her head.

Integra smiled.

"Good job. But, before you head off for some rest, there is one more thing I wanted to discuss: An overseas operation that I'm putting into the works, to make a major hit against the vampire hierarchy."

Seras's eyes widened.

"You've found them!?"

"Yes," She nodded, "At least, part of them. Thanks to the help of our newest recruit, we've acquired the intel necessary to find and eliminate the vampire threat, and bring the greatest organized conspiracy of undead to it's knees. It started with a coven in New York. Next, we move against France. There we'll root out the traitors in their government, march into the monster's den, and banish them into eternal damnation!"

Seras could hardly believe her ears. After years of searching, jumping at shadows and dozens of cold trails, Integra had finally found the vampire's hideouts, and was ready to annihilate them once and for...

"Wait a minute," Seras interjected. "'Newest recruit'?"

"That's right," Integra confirmed, "During Alucard's latest mission to New York, we ran into an... unexpected complication."

She smiled at that last part. Alucard, on the the other hand, looked somewhat put-off.

"Another vampire, who not only did our job for us, but after doing us such a service humbly asked to join us in our crusade."

Seras was more surprised then ever.

"You let this vampire join!?"

Integra nodded, "With restraint, of course. I recently sent him on a mission to Wales. He should've only just returned, same as you."

'_You mean to say, I'm gone for only a few weeks, and you guys already got yourselves a new vampire!?'_ Seras mentally yelled.

"His 'resume' certainly fits everything we're looking for in an operative, and his 'application'... well. let's just say it's hard to turn down an application quite like his." Integra said, amusedly.

Seras raised an eyebrow.

"And, how exactly did he 'apply' for a position?"

"By kicking the red guy's ass, that's how."

Seras nearly jumped out of her skin. She whipped around to see, much to her surprise, a boy, no older than seventeen by his looks, with brown hair and red eyes, dressed in full military gear, standing to her left.

"WHERE THE BLOODY HELL DID YOU COME FROM!?" She wailed.

Danny pointed to the warehouse hanger.

"Though in all technicality, I came from New York City."

Seras, having calmed down enough to think logically, finally processed the last part of Danny's sentence. Needless to say, If she was surprised before, she was beyond both shocked and appalled know,

"W-w-w-w-wait! You mean you!... And you!... And then you!... And in the end it was you who- !?" She frantically pointed between Danny and Alucard, both of whom were looking very annoyed by this point.

"As unbelievable as it seems, yes." Integra finished for her.

_'I swear to God, the Devil, and everything in between. I'm gonna rip that little bastard to pieces one day.'_ Alucard growled to himself

It was at this point, Danny took full notice of the red-clothed girl standing before him. He could tell right away that she was a vampire, and so he pieced together that this had to be Seras, Alucard's fledgling. She was admittedly quite pretty, with messy blonde hair, fair skin, and the standard red eyes of a vampire. She was also quite... 'well endowed', shall we say?

Cute as she was, however, Danny had little interest in such trivial matters, particularly in professional situations.

Integra spoke up again.

"Seras, I'd like you to meet our newest member, Daniel Cruz. He'll be working with us from now on. Daniel, Seras."

Danny looked to Seras and nodded in acknowledgement.

"Pleasure to meet you. Oh, and 'Danny' is just fine." He replied.

Integra shrugged, "Suit yourself."

Clapping her hands together she continued.

"Now! I think it best if we all got some rest. Tomorrow afternoon, we'll have a mission briefing. Danny, you were the one who provided us with the intel pivotal to locating this first of many strongholds. Therefore, I feel it only fair that you take part in this..."

Danny was more than pleased with this. It would bring him one step closer to his final goal.

"...as second-in-command. You will be 'wingman' to Seras, who I am giving full command of this mission to."

_'This way, I'll be able to evaluate how well he works with others.'_ Integra thought to herself.

Immediately, the buzz in Danny's stomach was replaced by a feeling of disappointment.

_'I have to work with THAT ditz?'_ He glanced at Seras, _'Well, things just went to shit. Might as well stake both of us and feed us to the ghouls while you're at it."_

"Sir Integra, pardon me if I'm speaking out of turn, but are two vampires really necessary for this mission?" Danny asked.

"I'm more than capable of handling these wretches on my own."

Integra fixed him with a stare worthy of her nickname.

"Yes, I'm fully aware of what you can accomplish on your own. Which is why I'm putting you in a team with Seras. Is there a problem with that?"

The 'Woman of Steel' had made her point very clear.

"No, Sir Integra. No problem."

"Good," She turned to head inside.

"Then I suggest you two get acquainted before going to sleep. Team bonding, and all that."

Alucard vanished from view, and Integra opened the door to let herself in. Danny waited a moment longer before heading in himself.

_'Stuck with the fledgling of the Crimson Fucker on an overseas mission. Well, I suppose things could get worse.'_

Suddenly, Seras popped up beside him and, in a voice that sounded a little too flowery for his liking;

"So, how do you like it here?"

Danny shuffled off to the side as he went in, putting distance between them.

"Fine."

He continued to walk to his room, Seras following beside.

"So, was Integra hard on you when she met you, or did she just let you in no questions asked?" She asked with genuine curiosity.

"As hard as she should have been. If she had trusted me right off the bat, I would've thought her an idiot." Danny said without stopping, or even looking at her.

_'Not the most lively conversationalist, is he?'_ Seras frowned, before continuing her barrage of questions.

"I heard you lived in New York before coming here. What's it like?"

"Flashy on the outside, bleak on the inside." Danny responded, almost robotically.

_'Just ignore her, Danny. If you ignore her long enough, she'll get bored and leave you alone...'_

...Wishful thinking at it's best.

"How did you beat master?"

"How powerful are you?"

"How old are you?"

"What do you think of London?"

"How did you become a vampire?"

"Did master turn you? Oh, wait I guess he couldn't have if you were a vampire the first time you guys met..."

"Are the accommodations to your liking?"

"I notice you carry an iPod with you a lot, what music do you listen to?"

_'My God, make it stop!'_

When Danny finally made it to the door that led to his room, he was about ready to go nuts. And, little did he know, so was Seras. She had been trying to make conversation with this stoic little brat the whole trip, and he hadn't even shown her a bit of courtesy!

"So, tomorrow, before the mission starts-"

"**Look**," Danny growled, turning to face Seras in his doorway.

"Let me make this clear: you're not my friend, you're my co-worker. I'm not here to play 'let's be bestest vampire buddies' with you, I'm here to kill monsters and drink free blood. I'm not happy about us working together, and the sooner that this temporary partnership has run it's course, the **better.** I'm going to bed now, so please do me a favor and go away. And please, **please**..."

He took a deep breath before continuing.

"**Just shut the fuck up**."

He slammed the door right her face, leaving her frozen outside his room.

Moments later, she began seething with anger, multiple veins bulging and threatening to pop.

"WELL, FUCK YOU TOO, THEN!" She yelled.

...

Seras stormed off down the halls, making her way to her own room.

_'How rude!'_ She thought to herself.

_'So that's what I get for trying to be decent!? Why he has got to be the rudest, nastiest, most stubborn little brat I have ever met in my life!'_

_'Coming from little miss 'Oliver Twist' herself, I can't help but smell a bit of hypocrisy in the air, mignonette.'_

The second voice in question was that of the former Captain of the Wild Geese, Pip Bernadotte, now the one true familiar of Seras.

_'But still! How far up your ass must a stick be shoved to make you that rude!?'_ Seras mentally yelled back.

_'Probably the same distance as the one up that Iron-Clad bitch, Integra's!' _Pip replied.

_'In any case, it seems clear to me that he wants nothing to do with you, ma cherie.'_

_'Well if he thinks I'm gonna just move over for him like that, he's got another thing coming!'_ Seras thought.

_'Ma cherie, normally I wouldn't care about this kind of thing, but if he's so desperate NOT to get to know you, perhaps you should repay him with the same courtesy?'_ Pip suggested.

In her mindscape, Seras looked down on Pip with a look of 'R U SRS!?'

_'And give him the satisfaction!? You've got to be kidding me!'_

Pip sighed in exasperation... or at least, sighed in the best way a metaphysical entity imprisoned in the body of a vampire can.

_'Eesh, it's like you have a mad crush on the guy or something...'_

_'I DO NOT HAVE A CRUSH ON THAT DIMINUTIVE VAMPIRIC ASSHOLE!'_

Pip laughed to himself.

_'Whatever you say, ma cherie.'_

When Seras finally returned to her room, she opened the lid of her coffin and slipped in, closing it on top of her.

_'Still, something did seem odd about that guy. He's definitely hiding something. And I intend to figure out what it is he's guarding so closely..."_

...

Danny woke up at around 4:30pm. The mission briefing was scheduled for 6:00. Taking advantage of the time available to him, he figured now would be a good time to start training again. Being a vampire, he was naturally fast, strong, and fit. However, he still had a wealth of untapped power, and just because he was naturally talented, didn't give him an excuse to not try and improve himself.

He started out his routine by running through several sequences of wing-chun, sambo, and karate respectively, practicing against his dummy, and the air. After that he followed up with a rapid 150 push ups and sit ups. Barely enough to make him sweat. He looked at the clock: 4:55.

Still having some time, he decided to head to the soldier's barracks and start using the weight room. It was empty when he got there. He supposed they must be off doing something else. He went to the bench press and found the heaviest weights he could find, totaling up to 1300 pounds. Again and again he pressed, rapidly pumping the iron.

_287. 288. 289. 300. 301. 302..._

He began cycling through each of the machines, putting each to the maximum weight, and running as many cycles as he could to pass the time.

_'When I finally come face to face with that man, I'll need to be at my strongest in order to beat him. I cannot waste any time. I must...'_

"... So I says to the guy, I says...Huh?"

Danny looked toward the door, and saw five Hellsing soldiers in P.T. gear, standing in the doorway. The one who had been talking seemed kind of taken aback when he saw Danny there.

"Hi." Danny said, without any real emotion, as he continued doing curl ups with a pair of 100lb dumb-bells.

"Uh, hi," The soldier replied, "Who are you?"

"The name's Danny," he responded, setting down the weights, "I'm Integra's newest monster."

Danny walked over to the wall behind him where the weights were kept, and picked up his sword.

"Have you gentlemen been on the range yet?" Danny asked.

"Uh, no," said one, "We were about pump some iron before going for some dinner."

"I see," Danny said, walking towards them, "Then if you don't mind me eating some of your time, I could use some help with my training."

The one in the front looked a bit confused.

"Uh, training?"

Danny nodded.

"Grab whatever firearms you want then meet me on the grounds."

...

Five minutes later, Danny was standing on the grounds, shirt off, and sword hanging from his waist. Surrounding him in a full circle, with shields and guns, were about 35 soldiers.

"Hey, kid? You sure about this?"

Danny didn't even bother to look at the one soldier who called out.

"Positive."

He gripped his sword hilt, and readied himself. He closed his eyes, and focused on his senses. Apart from regular sense enhancement, as well as the mystical "third eye," a vampire's sense ability to locate incoming threats and react was like a separate sense all on it's own. To Danny, it was a kind of natural radar that felt upwards of the infamous "spider-sense."

"When you're ready, gentlemen..."

His muscles tensed, and he prepared for the ordeal.

"FIRE!"

The soldiers all fired simultaneously, bullets ripping through the air, intent on hitting their target. Everything slowed down for the vampire standing in the middle of the onslaught. The bullets slowed down, sound drowned out. Danny opened his eyes and spun, slicing away bullets with his katana, one by one. His third eye combined with his sense ability alerting him to each danger coming from every angle.

From the soldier's point of view, it was like they were looking at a whirling ball of sliver-coloured metal as bullets bounced off and were sent right into their shields. They fired until their clips ran out, and their guns clicked. The whirling ball vanished, and a darting form ran to each of them, several slicing blurs arching through the air. When it was over, Danny slid to a halt in the center, sword outstretched.

_'3...2...1..'_

The guns and shields fell apart right in their hands, perfect cuts running across them. The soldiers gaped in awe of what they had seen. Taking a deep breath, Danny twirled the sword once, and slid it back into it's sheath with the grace of a samurai. Turning towards the mansion, he began to walk away.

"Thanks guys." He said, leaving the soldiers staring in wonder.

...

"Your target is held up in Paris, taking residence in the Banke Hotel."

Integra had several photos of the gothic-looking hotel scattered across a map that had been laid out on her desk. Alucard stood behind her. In front stood Danny and Seras, taking mental notes of everything they'd need to know to make this mission successful.

"Your orders are simple: kill every vampire you see, gather what intel you can, and get out as quickly as possible without arousing suspicion from the authorities."

_'Stealth and finesse are what this mission calls for. I can provide both. Hopefully she can do the same.'_ Danny thought.

_'I'd better keep him under close watch. He's already made it clear that he's not happy about cooperating with me, so he might do something reckless.'_ Seras thought.

Danny looked up at Integra.

"How are we getting in?"

"You'll be skydiving into the city under cover of darkness. Once you've completed your mission, head to the highest point of the Eifel Tower. You'll be extracted using skyhook recovery via Osprey."

"Understood." Danny replied.

Integra looked at both of them with a hard expression.

"Now, I'll say this again to make sure there's no misunderstandings. In and out. Quick and clean. I want this whole thing wrapped up in under half an hour. This is a simple hit and run guerilla operation. There's likely to be more vampires roaming the streets. I'm ordering you to focus solely on the ones in the hotel. Don't try to be a hero, Danny."

Danny swallowed, uncomfortable with how he had been so blatantly referred to.

"As you wish, Sir Integra."

"Good," Integra replied, lighting a Cigar, "Now go. Your lift is waiting for you."

Danny and Seras both turned and left her office, leaving her and Alucard alone.

"What do you think, Alucard?"

"What do I think?" Alucard replied.

"I think it's a bad idea. Danny made it pretty apparent that he doesn't want to work with the Police Girl, and from what I heard from the angry shouting reverberating through the mansion, Seras feels the same way. This mission is going to inspire tension and mistrust. I have a feeling Danny will act on his own agenda, and think of Seras as nothing but an obstacle that will hinder his progress. Seras will think of Danny as a stubborn brat, and treat him as such, which will only further fuel a lack of trust and sabotage their chances at teamwork."

Integra took a long drag on her cigar, sighing deeply. This situation was looking to be a very volatile one at best.

"For both their sakes, they'd better learn to overcome those obstacles if they want this mission to be a success."

She looked over the map of Paris through her one eye.

"That's one thing they have in common at least: a dedicated drive to win."

Alucard leant up against a bookcase.

"If things get rough, that might also be the very thing to drive a wedge between them. Especially if _they_ interfere."

Integra looked up, and stared at the door.

_"_We'll just have to hope for the best."

She rested her head on her hands and stared off into space.

_'And pray that God is merciful enough no to get them involved. Even if France is their jurisdiction...'_

...

_186...187...189..._

The man in question held his right arm behind his back, pushing himself up again and again with his left.

_195...196..._

His body was riddled with scars and stitch lines, and across the left half of his upper torso were strange lines that looked like wires beneath his skin.

_200!_

He pushed himself up one final time, then stood up. Picking a towel off the floor he dried himself of sweat, then walked to the window in front of him. The room he was in was a workout room, on the top floor of the building. The building in question was an orphanage run by the Church. He picked up a pair of rounded glasses on the windowsill and, putting them on, looked out across the various Gothic buildings, illuminated by the setting sun. Rome was quite beautiful today, as it always had been. A symbol of the divine kingdom on Earth in the minds of the faithful. A monument to human history, art, and construction to various scientists and historians. No matter what side of the coin you were on, it seemed there was always something about this part of the world that drew everyone's attention and fascination.

_'If only that were the only thing that mattered. If only this, the beauty of the world, and the shining loveliness of mankind, were something that everyone could agree on regardless of race, faith, or political ideology. If only we were more focused on making this place a lovelier world for all, rather than mindlessly fighting over who's right and who's wrong. If only..."_

His train of thought was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Come in." He called.

In walked a priest, dressed in the traditional white robes of the Catholic Church. He had thinning grey hair that was almost white, and a mustache to match. He wore similar round glasses, and had dark blue eyes.

"I see you've been keeping yourself busy, Father Anderson."

The man by the window moved over to a bench in left and middle of the room, just a few feet in front of the door, and sat down.

"I suppose it's the best I can do. Hasn't been a lot happening since Millennium."

He motioned for the priest to take a seat in a nearby chair, which he gratefully accepted.

"You're looking much better than when I last saw you, Anderson," Renaldo pointed out, "You've recovered your arms, legs, and seem capable of full motion once again."

Anderson smiled weakly.

"They told me it was quite the procedure. Keeping my body in stasis, scraping together what genetic tissue they could to clone new organs, manufacture new limbs, boosting my regeneration to smooth over the transplanting procedure, painfully stitching together every last part, and even then they still had to incorporate cybernetic nano-tech to stabilize my heart. I feel like Frankenstein's monster."

Renaldo and Anderson both shared a light laugh at that little joke.

"I was told that they still needed more work on your arm?"

Anderson rotated his left shoulder a couple times, getting a feel for it.

"Not quite like good old flesh and bone, but steel and wires under artificial skin will work just fine until the final operation."

"And when will that be?"

Anderson shrugged his shoulders.

"They say they'll be ready by the end of the month. They want me to get moving again, so that my body is in peak condition by the time they operate again."

Renaldo narrowed his eyes.

"But... You're still capable, right? You can do your job again if we need you to, right?"

Anderson's smile left his face in a flash.

"I had a feeling that was why you were here," He looked down, flexing his left hand, "You wouldn't come to see and old war dog just to talk, would you? No..."

He looked back up at Renaldo, fixing him with a hard stare.

"You're here under Iscariot business, aren't you?"

Renaldo looked a bit off-put, and tried to talk again.

"Anderson, you and I have always been good friends, but as one with capabilities such as yourself you know why Iscariot-"

"I don't care."

Anderson stood up.

"I'm retired. My only obligation is to the children of the orphanage now. Find someone else."

He walked out of the room, grabbing a white T-shirt off the wall rail and throwing it on as he left. Renaldo stood up, and hurried after him as quickly as his old bones could carry him.

"Anderson! Wait!"

He was already panting as he caught up with the tall and muscular man, heading down the stairs to the main level of the orphanage.

"Listen to me, Alexander. You're recovery is in itself a miracle! A sign from God that you are still needed here, with us! Ever since the Ninth Crusade -"

"You mean that botched massacre waged by a selfish coward who was drunk with power." Anderson interrupted.

"And on that day I saw countless of people, innocent, sinful, and neutral alike, slaughtered for nothing. Soldiers were sacrificed, for **nothing**. Friends sacrificed, all for NOTHING!"

He lashed out, slamming his fist into a wall and breaking through wood and plaster. Renaldo jumped back slightly at the outburst. Anderson sighed and continued to walk till they reached the main landing, and a very large living room with toys, books, and dozens of children running around, playing with their friends, happy, blissful smiles on their faces. Some wore analytical and confused faces as they tried their hands at a rubix cube, or a puzzle, or trying to beat each other in a game of chess. Others simply talked about idle, simple things while lying on their backs. Outside, kids ran freely on the playground, climbed trees, and bathed in the remaining sunlight. Inside, a heated game of Super Smash Bros. was being waged to settle an old score.

"I fought so obsessively to try and kill that man, Alucard. I was willing to sacrifice everything... even my humanity. He tried to warn me, but I was too stupid to listen. In the end, I was no better than those monsters I had fought for so long. In in my last moments, I learned the truth."

He looked at the kids with a look of fondness.

"I learned the truth about what really matters in this world. I learned that our crusade, indeed, I would say ALL our crusades were and are nothing more but selfish, vain endeavors in power and arrogance. I learned that all life is precious. That **humanity**, is precious."

He smiled a gentle smile before speaking up again. Renaldo was stunned at how much Anderson had changed in recent years.

"It doesn't matter whether you're Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, or even Wiccan. Because no matter which faith you turn to, or even which science you study, you come to realize the same thing: All human life is sacred and special. Whether it's the idea that we are the most prized creations of God, or that we were a unique chance occurrence, it still affirms that same statement. We are all precious, valuable, and holier than any scrap of miracle that comes in the form of those holy relics."

He turned his head to look at Renaldo.

"I'm not a crusader anymore, and I'm not Iscariot's 'trump card' anymore. You want bloodshed? Send Heinkel. I'm sure she'll jump on the chance for some violence."

He walked outside and made his way to the playground, the kids turning their attention to him briefly, but then continuing to run around in blissful glee.

"Alright, everyone! It's seven o'clock! Get inside and get ready for bed!"

A collection of "Awwww's" rang out, followed by a few shouts of "five more minutes, Father Anderson!" Bit at a time, however, they all eventually made their way inside.

"Goodnight, Father Anderson!"

"See you in the morning, Father Anderson!"

Father Alexander Anderson nodded to each in turn, and sent them off to bed. Renaldo stepped up to him once again, and they both stood outside the door into the orphanage.

"I understand your stance on the issue, Alexander," Renaldo started, "We won't be sending you on missions of that description, if it makes you feel any better. But ask yourself this;"

He looked Anderson right in the eye, with a look reminiscent of that of a drill sergeant staring down his troops.

"Does that make the vampire issue at hand any less important? That these blood-drinking monsters still stalk the night, and every day more of these people you deem sacred are butchered and drained like cattle!?"

Renaldo quieted down for a moment to let these words sink in.

"You are the finest agent Iscariot has ever commanded. I wouldn't be coming to you unless the situation was a truly desperate."

Alexander Anderson thought to himself while Renaldo stood patiently. He did have obligations to Iscariot. Even in retirement, they still had the pull necessary to get him back into action if they chose. They really were like the mafia in that way. When he was briefly deceased, the orphanage had nearly fallen apart, and the kids had become nothing short of barbarians. But if a vampire threat was truly brewing, then it was his duty to ensure that they were protected. If he didn't go, then how many more innocent people were likely to be murdered by those demons?

"... What is it you would ask of me?"

Renaldo turned and began to walk away.

"There's a coven of vampires, hidden away in France. They're held up in the Banke Hotel."

He stopped.

"And Hellsing is moving against them as well."

Anderson frowned.

"And you want to get them off your turf and show off who has biggest guns?"

Anderson opened the door.

"I'll slay the vampires, but you owe me for this one Renaldo."

Renaldo turned to him.

"You should know, Hellsing apparently has a new recruit. A vampire that they picked up on one of their missions. Our sources say he supplied the intel for this operation. The recruit is accompanied by their female demon, Seras Victoria. You should be cautious."

Anderson sighed.

"Sometimes I can't tell whose worse; the hypocrites who employ the monsters they hunt, or the bastards who would exploit a man's sense of duty just to show off their balls."

He slammed the door, and leant up against the wall. He had hoped this day wouldn't happen. He didn't want to abandon the things he cared about. He didn't want to cause harm where he tried to help. But most of all, he didn't want to start fighting again because...

_'Because no matter how many times I try to convince myself otherwise, I can't shake the fact that deep down, I actually enjoy the carnage.'_

He enjoyed the thrill of battle, the rush of adrenaline, the satisfaction of plunging a well-brandished bayonet into the heart of an unholy demon-spawn and watching it crumble to dust. He enjoyed fighting Alucard, both two halves of the same coin. So alike, yet different at the same time. He was a worthy adversary, and in a way, his greatest teacher.

_'Hmph,' _He smiled to himself, _'It seems that in the end, we truly are incorrigible war-mongers, aren't we?'_

He walked to his room, with a simple bed, closet, desk and wardrobe. He opened his closet and found a chest sitting inside. Taking a key from his pocket, he opened up the chest and found his old Iscariot uniform lying there, with several blessed bayonets awaiting their master's call.

_'Well then, I guess it's time to go to work. One last time.'_

"God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, Courage to change the things which should be changed, and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.

Living one day at a time, Enjoying one moment at a time, Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, Taking, as Jesus did, This sinful world as it is, Not as I would have it, Trusting that You will make all things right, If I surrender to Your will, So that I may be reasonably happy in this life, And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

"Amen."

...

25 minute after briefing, Danny and Seras were walking through the streets of Paris, taking in the various sights as they went along through the night. Danny was dressed in a simple red hoody with jeans, and Seras wore a simple gray t-shirt and jean skirt, as well as a white knit hat and purse. Both wore very large duffel bags across their backs.

"We're getting close," Seras noted, looking at the hotel, "is everything in place?"

Danny looked at her.

"Got everything I need right in this bag."

"Good."

Seras narrowed her eyes.

"I don't like doing this. It feels strange to be dressed and walking so casually while on mission."

"And that's exactly the point," Danny replied, "It's that appearance that's going to allow us to slip in, right from under their noses."

Seras looked at him curiously.

"What do you mean?"

Danny stopped walking, and moved to the side to allow other pedestrians to pass on the sidewalks.

"Integra wants this mission done quietly, yes? Have you come up with a plan to slaughter these creatures without attracting attention?"

Seras gave a blank stare before becoming flustered and a bit fidgety.

"PFFF! Of course I have a plan you dummy! I'm in command, aren't I?"

Danny wasn't convinced.

"Then, as your subordinate, might I be informed of your plan so I can better perform my task?"

Seras felt a sweatdrop roll down the side of her face.

_'Dammit! Sir Integra puts me in charge of this kid and I didn't even think up a plan for doing this quietly! I thought it was going to be the same stuff as always; have Harkonnen, will travel!"_

"...Well, if you don't mind my intervention, I have a plan of my own that I would like to share with you."

Seras's eyes lit up like Christmas lights.

"YES! Oh, I mean, please do so, soldier!"

Danny had resist face palming himself into tomorrow from the shear stupidity of the moment. She was clearly not cut out to be put in charge of others. She would probably work best as either assault or support, but never command.

"Well, my plan is quite simple really. We walk in through the front door, and ask to see the vampire in charge."

...

"...WHAAAAAAAAT!?"

Seras could hardly believe her ears at what Danny was saying. Walk right in? Just like that!? What the devil was he thinking?

"Are you out of your bloody mind!? We'd be shot on sight!"

Danny frowned at her.

"And why on earth would they fire on two harmless tourists with no firearms, no previous military history on record, and no background information to indicate our affiliation with any government agency whatsoever?"

Seras opened her mouth to speak, and closed it again. She did this several more times letting out sound that might have become words if hadn't continually been stopping herself.

"Well... But... That's... They'd just...I mean it's so...ARGH! IT JUST WON'T WORK! THERE'S NO WAY SOMETHING THAT SIMPLE COULD WORK!"

Danny just stood there, without even batting an eye.

"Every time me and master went on a mission they'd recognize him and it's be a bloody massacre! Why won't the same thing happen here!?" She asked.

Danny held a hand up, with his index finger out.

"First of all, Alucard is hardly what I would call a master of stealth. He relishes combat and bloodshed. He thrives on open war. Tell me, does he even bother with subtlety when on mission?"

Seras was caught off-guard, yet again.

"Um... not really. He kind of just lays down the challenge, gets blown apart, regenerates, then obliterates them."

Danny grinned slightly.

"Classic systematic calling card of a narcissistic/psychotic serial killer. But more to the point is that fact that he never tries to evade his enemies. He faces them head-on, and fights until they are dead. Quite poetic, certainly intimidating, but not very good for missions like these. And second is the fact that Alucard is clearly well-known by the vampire community. We have two distinct advantages working for us here."

He extended two fingers.

"First, is anonymity. As civilians, we are practically unnoticeable, and something tells me you're not nearly as blatantly obvious in your fighting as Alucard. The fact that you're his fledgling would mean that your enemies will be more focused on him, rather than you. His shadow shields you from enemy gaze, so to speak. I myself had this advantage in New York. When I hunted vampires, I did so under the mask of an alter-ego, as a way of securing my anonymity."

He smiled a toothy grin before continuing.

"They've met New York's cloaked killer, the "Angel of Death," and they fear him and hunt him with full ferocity. But they've never met Daniel Cruz the vampire before. I'm totally invisible to them."

He started walking toward the hotel again, and Seras followed.

"Furthermore, I know how these vampires operate. They're a subdivision of the same coven that took hold of New York for a time. I was the one who got the intel on this place, remember?"

Seras nodded, then perked up.

"So, you know how to get in then!?"

Danny nodded.

"In older times, Vampires were independent, solitary creatures, relying on power and individualism for survival. But no longer. The new philosophy they've adopted is very much an 'all for one and one for all' sort of deal. This hotel is a secret resting house, a larger type of safe-house designed to house and care for many vampires at once. Vampires on the run come to these resting houses for sanctuary. The coven gives them food, shelter, and whatever other material goods they need to survive. In return, the vampires are obligated to provide a service to the coven and it's members when called upon. A favor for a favor."

He came to a stop, about half a block away from the hotel.

"All we need to do is pose as refugee vampires, and they'll take us in without a second thought. From there, our options are wide open; systematic slaughter, espionage, or an all-out assault. Your move."

Seras could only gape in awe at this boy. He was not only experienced and talented in fighting, but a master intelligence gatherer! He could have worked for the CIA, or even MI6 if he had wanted to! If they hired vampires, that is.

_'He may be a rude fellow, but I'm certainly glad now he's with me on this mission. He's absolutely brilliant!'_

_..._

When Danny and Seras entered the Banke, they were immediately approached by a rather pale bellhop.

"Bonjour monsieur, madam. Comment puis-je vous être utile?"

"Pour le sang et le sanctuaire, nous prêtons nos propres." Seras replied.

Immediately the bellhop's expression became rather serious and suspicious, as he looked left and right to ensure non of the other guests would hear them.

"Come with me, madam. You too, monsieur." The bellhop replied, in French.

Seras smiled.

"Merci."

Danny followed in tow behind Seras and the bellhop, scanning the room as he did. Most of the guests minded their own business, but a few well-dressed Frenchmen in the lobby followed them with their eyes, and the staff were looking at them intently. Danny made note on who was human and who was a vampire.

_'Seras is the only one of us who knows how to speak French. I guess it's a good thing I got partnered with her. Otherwise I might've had to use an 'alternative' means of learning the language in less than a day...'_

He shuddered at the thought of drinking living blood. He had done it once before, out of desperation, and in a single moment of unsuppressed instinct. He remembered that day well...

...

_I raise my pistol, ann empty a round into my targets head._

_"That's the last one, sergeant." I reload my USP-45, and start walking toward the warhouse crate._

_"Good job, Danny." Sergeant Sayansky replied._

_It's been three months since I met my unusual friend, Dmitri. As promised, I had been given a job with his family's company, as a security guard and "peacemaker" agent between company transactions. Today's job: kill the Japanese scumbags who thought they could rob us of our shipments and get away with it, and recover the goods. And by goods, they meant 2500 kg of pure, unrefined cocaine. That's right. I was working for the Russian Mafia. Go figure._

_Definitely__ not your ordinary mobsters, though. The thing about the Russians is that most if not all of their boys were former military fugitives from the former Soviet Union. Red Army, Spetsnaz, KGB; all of them could be found in their ranks. And each of their contributions to the whole team's skill-set made them a formidable force more akin to that of a self-sustaining mobile army than a mere mob gang._

_Sayansky was a Spetsnaz captain, and has been a mentor and friend to me ever since I entered this darkness. He has trained me in unarmed combat, including Karate, Ninjutsu, and Sambo. He's also taught me all he knows about guerilla tactics, weapons, and modern warfare. Day by day I'm getting all that I need to wage my war. Soon, I will take the fight to my real enemy. Soon... Very soon..._

_..._

_"KILL THEM! KILL THOSe BASTARDS!"_

_We should've expected their reinforcements. Now we're pinned behind a shitty truck with almost no ammo._

_"Keep firing, Danny! They should be here any moment!"_

_Sayansky raises his AK-47 and blind-fires behind cover. I look out around the truck and aim for the Jap with the scar on his cheek. Perfect hit, he goes down instantly. He distracts them with cover fire, and I pick off the targets that are present. My rifle clicks. I'm out._

_"SHIT! Captain, I'm out! We've gotta get out of here, NOW!"_

_A rush of dread runs through my system as I see a Yakuza wielding a katana run up to his right._

_"CAPTAIN!"_

_Without thinking I dash at him, lighting speed...and tear through his torso._

_My hand is outstretched like the claws of a tiger. Blood is gushing out of his mouth, and his body. I can feel Sayansky's horrified stare on my back as I tear the man in half. Another Yakuza attacks me with a knife, and i lash out, my hand slicing through his neck like a sword in a wide, horizontal arch. Blood. So much blood. It's terrifying, awful... and intoxicating. Invigorating, even. I feel new life in my body. I feel hungry. I feel strong._

_"WHAT THE FUCK!? KILL HIM! KILL THE GAIJEN!"_

_They fire at me. The bullets...They're so slow. I can duck under them, weave around them with ease. I've just ducked around their bullets, jumped over top of them, and am standing behind them, oblivious. I feel excitement, thrill, joy even, as my fist crashes into the man's skull, shattering it. I whip around as they are barley realizing what's happening, and slam my elbow into the Yakuza's back, shattering the spin and rupturing his organs. I barely even notice Sayansky looking at me in shock and horror as I tear the men to pieces._

_"AH! GODDAMN IT!"_

_He looks at me with the look of a man who's staring the Devil in the face. He's firing without even aiming. It's so pathetic. So silly. So laughable. I don't even realize the horrible grin stretching across my face as I grip his neck and pounce on him, knocking him back several dozen meters with the force of a pickup truck._

_I hold him up against the steel crate, in the air by his neck. His arms are broken, his back is cracked, and his legs are limp. I can't stop smiling._

_"What... What are...you?"_

_I bring my jaws to his neck, and plunge my sharp teeth into the soft flesh. The blood rushes into my mouth. It's warm, energizing, tangy. I take in gulp after gulp without even thinking about it. Memories flood my mind. Horrible, and lovely things. The blood is the life. The blood is power. To take blood is to take ownership of I life. I am the predator. This is my prey..._

_"DANIEL!"_

_The human runs toward me, and hoists me off the man I have pinned to the ground, the man I was feeding on. Who would dare interrupt my kill!?_

_"DANIEL! STOP THIS! PLEASE!"_

_Daniel? Who's... That's... My name..._

_"Please... Stop..."_

_Suddenly, I snap back into reality. My mind had gone blank. One minute I was trying to save the captain, and then..._

_The weight of it hits me like a train going full-speed. Sayansky is holding me up from behind, his strong arms preventing mine from any sort of action. I look around and see the full scale of the carnage. I can still taste the blood on my mouth. I can see the new memories I've absorbed... and I can feel a foreign presence in me... And I know.. I know..._

_"My God... What have I done?"_

_The tears roll down my face like the rain pouring outside. I can feel my strength draining, leaving me in the presence of the water. I hold my head in my hands, and fall to the ground in shame. Sayansky holds me..._

_"It's alright, Danny...It's okay... It's over..."_

_..._

_"So let me get this straight: You mean to tell me, that after the damn Japanese cornered you outside, you miraculously found a flash-bang to distract them, and the boy used a sword he found to cut them down?"_

_Sayansky nodded._

_"In simple terms. Really, we're lucky I had any left. The boy is really quite talented with a blade. He even decapitated one of them!"_

_The boss looked skeptical._

_"He'd have to have been moving damn fast to pull that off! And what about the guy's busted skull? That's the second time I've heard of this 17-year-old **child** punching a person's head off with one blow!"_

_Sayansky laughed awkwardly._

_"Steroids! You'd be amazed at what they can do to you! Actually, I think he tried some PCP on the mission, for courage he said. He was quite literally all like, 'HULK SMASH' and shit, it was nuts!"_

_The Russian Mob boss took a long drag on his cigar._

_"And the guy with the chunk of throat bitten out of him?"_

_Sayansky was running out of lies._

_"I'm telling you, a rabid dog jumped out of nowhere and just attacked the guy! Really lucky on our part, a miracle!"_

_He stared at him a while longer, before giving a long sigh._

_"Well, I guess it really doesn't matter. Just keep the punk under control. I know we have a reputation for brutality, but he's starting to to disturb even ME a little..."_

_Sayansky stood at attention._

_"Understood, sir."_

_..._

_"Why?"_

_Sayanksy looks at me with a look of confusion was we descend the hotel staircase. The hotel owned by the Russians._

_"Why did you stick up for me? You saw me, I'm a monster. If I were you, I would've tried to kill me." I say._

_Sayansky snorts with an attitude of apathy._

_"And how would that make you any different from any of us?"_

_It was my turn to look confused._

_"Look at us. Dogs of war. Soldiers without a country. Fugitives, traitors, war criminals. Sadists and war-mongers alike. I was shocked to say the least when you did what you did. But the truth is that the fact that you're a vampire makes you very similar to us. In the end, we're all monsters."_

_He stops as we reach the lobby._

_"So don't be to hard on yourself kid. Here in Hell, we're all equal in our sins. Now go on. I'm going to make tomorrow's training extra hard on you, so you better rest up! Now that I know you have super-powers, I don't need to take it easy on you anymore!"_

_He grins maliciously, and I can't help but laugh._

_"Whatever you say, Captain..."_

_..._

**And here is where I end it abruptly. In order to give you guys the fullest reading experience, I need to break up the story in a way so that it isn't overwhelming for you or for me.**

**Next time! Danny and Seras obliterate the Banke Vampires! Danny goes off on his own to face a terrifying vampiric adversary where and old enemy has left him a breadcrumb trail for him to follow! And the return of the Paladin Priest sparks a new rivalry for Danny!**

**Seras vs. The Coven!**

**Danny vs. Anderson!**

**Who wil be... THE DEADLIEST WARRIO - ! OOPS! Wrong show!**


	6. Swords and Roses

**Chapter 6**

"Ah, welcome, my honored guests, to our humble abode!"

A fat, well-dressed man with slicked back hair embraced Seras in a friendly hug, which she returned in kind. Danny kept his distance.

"I hope you will find your stay here to be to your liking. Stay as long as you please! The world outside is harsh to those who don't know how make it work to their advantage."

Seras nodded and smiled.

"Thank you for your kindness, monsieur."

Danny surveyed the room he was in. It was a board meeting room, with a large, rectangular table in the middle. Several other well-dressed men dominated the room, and Danny noticed several armed guards as well. They were in the heart of enemy territory. Soon it would be time to strike.

The fat man took a seat at the table, and beckoned for Seras and Danny to do the same. Danny shared a glance with her as he took his seat. The look in her eyes gave him all the confirmation he needed; now or never.

"So tell madam, what brings you to our safe-house?"

Seras grinned slightly, as she crossed one leg over the other.

"Well, I'm a refugee from England. I came here thanks to my associate here. I suppose the best way to explain our situation would be to ask him."

She nodded to Danny, and the fat one fixed him with a curious expression.

"I see," he said, "well then tell me, what brings you here, son?"

Danny returned his stare with his own cold, hateful stare.

"Following death's trail."

The fat one at first looked confused, but then started feeling very uncomfortable as Danny kept staring at him, hatred and spite radiating from him.

"Someone once asked me to help him find _'the life worth living.'_ I answered his question with a cold silver blade through his heart saying, _'the life worth living, is the life you abandoned.' _"

The fat man's eyes widened with grim horror and realization, just in time for a specialized bullet to tear through his heart. Immediately, his body was sent flying backwards and onto the ground, as his body slowly crumbled away. The guards leapt up in surprise to see Seras's large duffle bag with a large, smoking hole in the one end.

"NOW!" Danny yelled.

Danny whipped out two pistols and started firing on anything that moved. Seras unzipped her bag and took out a compressed device, which at the flick of a switch reformed and took the shape of a long black rifle, just slightly less long than herself.

HELLSING ARMS MICRO HARKONNEN:

DESIGNED WITH MOBILITY IN MIND, THIS NEWEST ADDITION TO THE HARKONNEN FAMILY CAN BE COMPRESSED TO FIT INTO SMALLER SPACES, AND CAN BE IMMEDIATELY DEPLOYED WITH THE FLICK OF A SWITCH. USING 50 CALIBER EXPLOSIVE AND ARMOR PIERCING SHELLS, THE MICRO HARKONNEN IS A SURPRISE THAT ANY VAMPIRE WILL NOT BE HAPPY TO RECEIVE.

Seras and Danny charged forth, leaping over the table and making a break for the door on the opposite end of the room. The high and low caliber rounds from their weapons tore the vampiric guards to shreds before any of them could even process what happened. Turning right, they ran down the hall, hearing the sounds of heavy footsteps rushing towards them.

"I'm gonna try and get in close and behind, can you cover me?"

Seras slid to a halt and shouldered her weapon, shadow-shifting into her Hellsing attire.

"You got it!"

Danny jumped into the air and flipped so that his feet landed on the ceiling. He continued his run upside down, using his vampiric ability to manipulate his own gravitational field to adhere to the ceiling. Reaching into his duffel bag, he removed his customized M-16 carbine, and katana. Vampiric guards turned the corner at the end of the hall, and began rushing at high speed towards Seras. She opened fire, delivering dozens of rounds from the semi-automatic rifle into the oncoming enemies. The vampiric guards dodged to either side as several of their comrades were killed and proceeded to open fire. Seras dodged and raced forward, readying herself for close combat. Danny dropped from the ceiling, and reoriented himself so he was falling feet first. He landed on top of one of the guards and ran him through with his sword.

The vampires were soon overtaken by the duel attack coming from either side. Seras unloaded round after round, regularly switching between shooting her foes and using the gun as a makeshift melee weapon. The ones left facing Danny didn't fare much better. Danny hacked and carved through the guards with his sword, deflecting bullets back to their senders and making short work of them in close range. Soon both he and Seras made their way to the center of the building horde, and were back to back, fighting side by side as vampire after vampire made their way towards them.

"Danny!" Seras raised her gun in his direction.

"You too!" He yelled, readying his sword and dashing toward her.

Seras opened fire as Danny went into a baseball slide, watching the bullet pass over him as it tore apart the skull of the vampire behind him. He slid between Seras's legs, momentum carrying him at high speed as he raised his sword in a downward chopping motion, carving the vampire behind Seras clean in two down the middle. The last of their opponents dead, the two Hellsing agents surveyed the scene.

"You good?"

"I'm fine," Seras replied, "you?"

"Not a scratch." Danny said.

"How much farther, Seras?"

"Two more floors up, then straight down the hall is where we'll find their main database." She informed.

Danny took a radio from one of the fallen guards and held it up.

_"Nightwatch 1 to Nightwatch 6, what the devil is going on?"_

Danny altered his voice to match that of his dead enemy as best he could.

"This is Nightwatch 6, a rogue enemy tried to assassinate the manager. He has been executed. Everything is under control. Stand down and return to your rounds."

_"Ah... Understood. Standing down."_

Danny set down the radio and looked at Seras.

"That should buy us a bit of time, but they won't be fooled for long."

"Then we better get moving, come one!" Seras ordered. Danny followed in tow, racing towards the objective. As they reached the end of the hall, Danny stumbled, and ground to a halt.

"What is it!?" Seras called back, already holding the door to the stairs open on the right end.

It was as if someone had dropped a stone into his stomach and punched him. Memories flooded his mind; The massacre at the Yakuza docks, the Russian bombing, his mother and father bleeding out in front of him. His neck began to burn with an agonizing pain, and he felt thirstier than he had ever felt. He grabbed his neck and dropped to his knees.

"Danny!" Seras yelled, deeply worried about what was happening to her partner.

She ran towards him and tried to help him to his feet. Unconsciously, Danny switched to his third eye, and began looking about his surroundings. His objective was up the spiral stairs on his right. To left, however, their seemed to be a trail of bright red, bioluminescent blood leading through a door and down a very stylized hallway. Blood that was not there when looking through his normal eyes.

"Are you alright?" Seras called.

Danny stood, and pulled Seras's arm off him.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Seras looked concerned, "What happened?" She asked.

"It's nothing," Danny said, "continue towards the objective. I'll join you in a moment."

He started down the left hallway.

"W-Wait! Where are you going!?" Seras yelled.

"There's something down there. Or someone."

Seras immediately went into soldier mode.

"Another enemy?" She asked.

"Maybe. And possibly a threat to the main objective if left alone." Danny said, readying his M-16, and sheathing his sword.

"I'm going to investigate. Gather the intel from the main computer as Integra instructed. I'll see what intel I can learn from this little detour. We'll meet on the roof and depart for the Eiffel tower at the stroke of midnight, on schedule. Does that sound good?"

Seras, uncertainly, nodded.

"Just make sure you're there. Remember what Integra said to you, Danny. Don't be a hero."

"I never was." Danny retorted, taking off through the door and down the hallway.

Seras turned the other way, and headed up the spiral staircase.

...

"KEEP FIRING! KILL THAT SON OF A BITCH!"

Danny swerved around the bullets and slid behind cover, popping out to deliver rounds from his M-16. As soon as he heard the click of empty cartridges, he sprung from cover and gunned them down. One eager vamp who got away lunged at him with a knife. He dodged the first two swipes before catching a sideways jab with the blade. Then he twisted the arm with his right hand, before stepping in close to deliver an elbow blow to the joint, breaking the limb. A series of powerful punches to the face later, Danny ended the brawl by jabbing the knife into his opponents heart, then following up with a kick to the gut that sent the last enemy crashing through several walls.

Switching to his third eye, Danny continued to follow the breadcrumb trail of invisible blood. He could see in the distance, where the trail ended, what seemed to be a large mass of dark energy, concentrated around one distinct individual. He was being lead here, he knew. The trail was meant for him specifically. With this in mind, he took off running, speeding towards the door at the end of the hallway. He had a date with death, and he wasn't about be late.

...

Seras sliced through the last three soldiers, her left arm a twisting appendage of amorphous shadowmatter. She surveyed the scene; over a dozen opponents lay dead all over the computer room, either shot, beaten, or sliced apart by Seras. All except one. His arms and legs had been cut off, and he was little more than a stump, sitting there, looking up at her in terror. Seras marched over to him and grabbed his head by the hair, hoisting him up a few feet while he squirmed in pain.

"Now listen up! I'm on an important mission to rob this computer here of every scrap of data concerning the new global vampire operations. But poor little me doesn't know a whole lot about computers," she pouted.

"So why don't you be a good boy and help a lady with her problems, eh? Otherwise..."

Her shadowmatter arm formed a very nasty series of talons with a red eye in the middle, aimed at the vampire.

"It'll be unpleasant."

A few minutes later the Hellsing operative was typing away on the keyboard, cycling through endless streams of data, before loading it onto a hard drive disk she had brought along.

"Accessing Secure files... and there goes the silent alarm. Charming."

Following instructions and a bit of techno know-how, she soon managed to disable the alarm entirely... before noticing something quite odd and disturbing.

"Strange, it wasn't trying to alert the authorities. It looks like it was trying to reach a private account."

_"I'll bet my soul that it belongs to the man who's running this show. Trace it, Seras!"_ Pip called.

"Just give me a moment..." Seras replied.

...

*BOOM!*

The doorway, along with a good portion of the surrounding walls were blown away by the resulting explosion from Danny's 40mm grenade launcher. Casually, he walked into the room, and surveyed the scene. It appeared to be a large ballroom, with giant windows at the opposite end of where he stood, overlooking the balcony. The marble floor glistened in the moonlight, and the chandeliers were dark and without flame.

"I know you're there. I can feel you here." Danny said, walking out into the center of the room.

"You went to all this trouble to lure me out. Well I'm here, so why don't you drop the act and show yourself already."

A round of haughty laughter reverberated through the room.

"Well, well, well, quite the bold one, aren't you?" A woman's voice rang out.

"Such arrogance, especially from one so young. It's almost cute."

The ground began to quake, and from the floor not ten feet away from him burst forth something from the stone. When the dust settled, Danny looked up to see, much to his immediate surprise, a giant rose open up to reveal a beautiful pale skinned woman in a long black dress that was cut on either side to reveal her long legs. Her hair too was black, a reflection of the dark nature inherent amongst her kind.

"And just who the hell are you supposed to be?" Danny glared.

The woman gracefully stepped out of the flower and started strutting towards him.

"I am the guardian of this safe-house, and charged with it's protection. You may call me 'Madame Rouge.' " She bowed gracefully.

Danny didn't let his guard down for an instant.

"So you're the one who's running the show here."

"Who? Moi?" Rouge said, pointing to herself with almost child-like surprise and feigned innocence.

"Nonsense! I admit, I do hold a particularly strong amount of influence here, but monsieur, you flatter me too much if you think that I am the one in control of the whole thing!" She laughed haughtily.

"If you are one of the higher-ups, than you have information on who the real maestro behind this organization is," Danny accused, lowering himself into a fighting stance, "Therefore, you are my target. I'll give you one chance to tell me all that I want to know willingly before I get violent with you."

Rouge looked quite put off.

"Ah! My, my monsieur, you would dare hit a lady!? Well you're certainly no gentleman..."

"I'd hit you, shoot you, electrocute you, cut you up into a million pieces and burn you to a crisp if I had too! I have no sympathy for monsters like you!" Danny yelled.

"Hmmm, but what does that make YOU, monsieur?" Rouge questioned.

"If I am a monster," she held her arms out, walking towards him again, "then what does that make you? You were made a vampire, the same as I. More than that, you joined the mafia and became a criminal. You killed countless humans, all in the service of drug traffickers and whore-traders! You didn't even do them the courtesy of drinking their blood! Instead you left it all to waste as they bled out into the streets!"

A deadly aura flared up around her, and Danny couldn't help but start walking back instinctively, a chilling sensation running through him.

_'There's no question, this lady is dangerous..._'

"And to top it all off you have the nerve to put on a costume and distribute vigilante justice on a people you understand NOTHING ABOUT! And you dare call me a monster!? You're nothing but a disgraceful hypocrite! To think **he** would think you superior to me!"

Rouge raise her hand into the air, and as if on cue, several vines sprung forth from the ground and launched themselves at Danny. Danny reacted quickly and jumped back, whipping out his sword and slicing away the vines that got to close. Landing on his feet back at the destroyed doorway, his mind began racing.

_'She knows who I am! Not only that, she knows everything about me past my turning! Who the hell IS this woman!?'_

The ground trembled once again, and twin giant venus fly-trap mouths sprang forth from either side of the rose, rising into the air. Madame Rouge began to float into the air, and glided backwards until she was situated on her flower again.

"I will show him his mistake, right after I've killed you, Daniel Crusnikov!"

Danny twirled his sword a couple times, and reloaded his rifle, holding it in his right hand.

"The only mistake is the one you just made; crossing me."

Danny opened up with a barrage of bullets from his M-16. However Rouge's plant heads moved to shield her from harm. In response, several vines tried to entangle Danny, but he evaded by jumping backwards up the wall, and onto the ceiling. He continued to press his assault with a rain of fire, even firing his under-barrel grenade launcher. The explosive got rid of one of the heads, much to Rouge's frustration.

Rouge flicked her hand, and the other fly-trap head lunged at Danny with it's snapping jaws, eager to devour the young nosferatu. Danny just barley managed to dodge, but the impact from it's collision with the ceiling caused him to lose balance, and plummet to the ground. He did not hit however, as several vines began to bind his arms and legs, stretching him out like a doll on display before the sinister concubine's gaze.

"How pathetic," she sighed, "I had hoped you would be more of a challenge for me, especially since we share the same sire."

In the grip of those malevolent vines, Danny had a revelation.

"You... You were turned by him to!?"

Rouge giggled like a naughty schoolgirl who had been caught skipping class. Clearly she was enjoying every moment of this.

"And he spoke so highly of you to. He planned for this you know, oh yes. Right after your little show in New York with Alucard he knew that eventually you would find your way here. That's why he sent me. He wanted me to contact you, and lure you to my grasp to test your strength..."

The vines started pulling, and Danny had to grit his teeth to hold back a yelp as his limbs threatened to tear apart.

"...But it seems you're nothing but a disappointment, **'brother'**!" Rouge laughed triumphantly, tightening her fist as her telepathically controlled plants pulled ever tighter, slowly tearing Danny apart...

Suddenly, the vines whipped away from their captive, as if the tension had suddenly been released. Rouge had just enough time to catch a glimpse of black smoke gliding away from the vines.

"If we truly are siblings of the same sire..."

Rouge spun around to see Danny standing on the chandelier high above her head.

"Then I can stop holding back. But first," He twirled his sword in hand a few times, "I think it's time I killed those weeds of yours."

He was gone in the blink of an eye. Danny dashed to the first venus and cut it at the stem, then kicked it into the air and slashed several more times, cutting it to pieces. Wasting no time he followed up with a midair dash to the rose and gave it the same treatment, before landing just outside the emergence hole from which the monstrous plant sprung. Reaching in he grabbed a sparking wire, and walked towards the mess.

"Time for a bonfire."

He shoved the wire into the rose, and it immediately caught flame. The plants contorted and squirmed as they were engulfed by the flames.

"NO! MY BABIES!" Rouge screamed.

"And now, it's your turn." Rouge spun around towards the balcony, only to be greeted by a fist to the face. The impact sent her flying across the room and crashing into the wall. Danny was on her again, grabbing her hair and whipping her about, before tossing her in the air and kicking her in the stomach as she fell again.

He stalked over to her and grabbed her hair again, pulling her up to his eyes.

"It's been years since I've done this. I'd sworn off fresh blood for a long time, but since you're not human, I guess I can make an exception."

"P-Please! Please don't kill me!" Rouge begged, tears in her eyes.

For a moment, Danny looked thoughtful, almost piteous towards the girl he held at his mercy.

"You were right about one thing. We are both monsters. But everything I have done can be laid at the feet of your master. I never wanted to be a monster. I imagine you must have been close to death once, and that's why you took his offer. We were both faced with death, and the final judgement. But when our lives and the accumulation our virtues and vices stared back at us..."

Danny's eyes shifted into a glowing, fiery red, filled with fury and hate. His teeth sharpened to points, and his canines grew long and sharp.

"You **blinked**."

Danny bit down onto his captive's neck, and sucked deep, letting the blood fill his mouth, and energize his body. Immediately, a rush of memories came to greet him:

A dinner with a romantic interest, a ball with wealthy sponsors, and one in particular of a man with a cloak and high collar, the stereotypical vampire's garb, walking away from her.

_"Make sure he finds his way to you, Rouge. I want you to gauge his abilities thus far."_

_"You really think this necessary, master? He is merely a child, I doubt he's -"_

_"Do NOT underestimate him! He is stronger than you can even fathom, and his potential succeeds yours by leaps and bounds! Show no mercy. If you do, he'll finish you off quicker than you can blink."_

The man turned, and Danny stared into a pair of glowing red eyes, frozen to the spot. Suddenly, the scene changed. Danny felt himself being pulled, almost out of his own body it felt like! The world faded away, and suddenly, he was back in the ballroom. Only, it wasn't the ballroom. Structurally, everything was the same, but the entire world was in black and white. He looked at himself. He was in colour. That was weird enough. He was in for an even greater surprise when he turned around to find himself... and exact replica of himself, frozen in place, still holding onto Rouge and biting into her neck. That version of him was also colourless.

"What the hell?"

**"So, you've finally found your way here, Daniel."**

Danny turned to face the balcony. Dozens of bats swarmed in and coalesced into a shadowy figure with a red aura. The details were obscure thanks to this strange form, but from what detail he could pick out from the faded outlines, the man was taller than Danny by a full head or more, about as tall as Alucard. He wore the same cloak, noble's clothes, and from what he could tell, had a short black beard and a mustache. From his voice, and the pain in his neck, Danny didn't need to ask to figure out who he was.

"It's you...! You're the one behind all this!"

**"How very perceptive of you Daniel, but you always had a knack for deducing the painfully obvious. A trait your father sorely lacked. If he were nearly as perceptive as you, perhaps he might've been able to save you and your mother."**

Danny growled with rage and took a step towards the demon in front of him.

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT MY FATHER, YOU GOD-DAMNED MONSTER!"

The figure showed no signs of being phased by this outburst and continued.

**"Well, it seems that Madame Rouge is dead. I suppose it was inevitable, the useless tart always was an incompetent waste of time. Still,"** He smirked, **"It provides me with a rare opportunity to speak with my newest child of darkness. Tell me, how goes life in London?"**

"You know-?!"

**"Of course I know!"** He snapped.

**"Did you honestly believe I wouldn't keep tabs on you this whole time!? I've been watching you ever since I sired you. You've proven to be a most powerful asset."**

Danny growled.

"What are you talking about!? I've done nothing-!"

**"Nothing that you are aware of,"** The figure finished for him, **"Unbeknownst to you, the coven in New York that you eliminated housed several traitors who wished to usurp me from my throne as leader of the organization. Thanks to you, I no longer have to worry about that. Congratulations."**

"Enough talk! Tell me where you're hiding you snake! Come out and face me so I can make you regret ever siring me in the first place!" Danny bellowed.

**"Ah, yes. Ever the noble avenger. You have come this far I suppose. But is that all you want to know? The mere identity of the one who butchered your mother and father right in front of your eyes and stole your humanity?!"** He taunted.

Danny had to exert every ounce of self control that he had not to lash out then and there. Immediately, he was reminded that he was on a mission, and that there were larger things at stake.

"Nothing is more important to me than avenging them. Even so, I will ask this; why the sudden cooperation, all these covens springing up out of nowhere? What's the purpose behind it? Answer me!"

The figure chuckled darkly before continuing.

**"Your little partner should be figuring that out right about now. Which reminds me, she's already found out all she needs to know. No need to let her dig any deeper, is there?"**

He snapped his fingers.

...

*CONNECTION TERMINATED*

"BULLSHIT!" Seras screamed.

_"Well, there goes finding out who the mystery man is..."_ Pip grumbled.

"At least I managed to get the data, now let's find Danny and get out of here before we're done for!"

Seras turned tail and started racing back down the stairs, the sounds of sirens drawing ever near...

...

**"All will be revealed in good time, my fledgling. But I will say this; there is a storm on the horizon, and you had best be ready when it hits. For I will be hailing it's arrival."**

"Then tell me your name, so I can carve into your grave." Danny threatened.

**"Hehehe... Very well, I suppose It's time you had a name to ascribe to the face of your enemy. I am Baron Radomir Von Harkon. Remember it well!"**

"I will. It will be the name I curse every night for the rest of my life till the day I kill you." Danny spat.

"Know this, Von Harkon; I will never rest till I have my revenge. There is no hole you can crawl into and no place on Earth you can hide where I won't find you. I'm coming for you, and when I find you, it'll be the Devil to pay!"

Harkon merely grinned.

**"I'm counting on it. Now, our time is up, and I have things to do. Oh, and a word to wise; you might want to get your jaws off of that carcass before it goes up in flames. Goodbye."**

...

Reacting quickly, Danny immediately wrenched himself away from his kill and threw the body away, just in time to see it explode into sizzling hot flames and burn away.

_'If I had been just a second too late, I would have been toast_!'

Danny took a moment to compose himself, and reflect on what he had learned thus far.

_'Baron Radomir Von Harkon... So he is the one who's behind this uprising... And the one responsible for my parent's deaths...'_

"Now I have a name, and a name is enough. There are others out there who know who this man is, and they will lead me straight to him. Even if I have to slaughter a million souls to find him, I WILL find him. My parents deserve justice, and I deserve vengeance. Soon..."

"DANNY!" Seras called, racing into the room.

"Seras!" Danny turned around to face her.

"We have to go, now! Someone must have escaped us, I can hear sirens, the police are on their way!"

Danny looked back at the still raging fire.

"The smoke will only heighten their suspicions, we've got to get out of here! Do you have the data!?"

Seras reached into her pocket to remove a disk.

"Got it! What happened here? Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Yeah," Danny nodded, "I did. Now let's go!"

As sirens rang outside, the duo sped on, undeterred by the impending danger...

...

Outside the hotel, several police cars were already surrounding the building entrance. A SWAT team was already preparing to move in.

"What are those guys doing here? I thought this was a simple gas explosion!" One corporal asked.

"Plans have changed. According to them the entire hotel has been taken hostage by terrorists, and they are armed and dangerous." Another replied.

"No shit?"

Meanwhile, from the roof of a building opposite to the hotel, a figure crouched on the edge, overlooking the chaos below.

"Alright you bloody heathens, let's raise a little hell."

The figure jumped to the ground, unnoticed by the officers.

...

"AAAHHHHHH!" A woman and several others screamed, but their cries went unheard as the SWAT team gunned them down.

"Oops," the team leader snorted, "Looks like the negotiations have gone to shit. The 'terrorists' have killed all there hostages. Oh well, clean up the mess boys!"

The SWAT agents moved to the bodies and removed their masks, dozens of sharp teeth exposed from their lips.

"We'll get these fools for thinking they could cross the most feared coven in western Europa, but first, a light snack before the main course!" The leader laughed.

"Sorry gentlemen," an Irish-accented voice rang out, "but dinner's cancelled, on order of Judgement."

...

"They're inside the building! We have to move!" Seras called, only to have a hand grab her shoulder as she neared the corner, and pull her back.

"What the-!?"

"SHH!" Danny hissed, "Listen!"

Stooping to a crouch, he moved towards the corner, listening intently. A battle was being waged, with guns and what sounded like... blades? He could here the chinks of metal, and the passing of steel into flesh, the crumbling away of vampire bodies.

"Someone's out fighting them! And it sounds like they're winning!" Danny whispered.

"What? You mean to say that the police are vampires too!?" Seras replied, astonished.

"I honestly can't say I'm surprised. But more importantly is this unknown that we're dealing with..."

Suddenly, it grew very quiet. Too quiet...

"They've stopped fighting..." Danny readied his M-16.

"Which room is that?"

"Uh, I think it's the dining hall." Seras said.

"Alright, we'll go in on three..."

Danny and Seras lined up on either side of the door separating them from the room.

"One... two... THREE!"

The two barged through the door rifles raised. The scene was one of pandemonium; Piles of ash, bodies scattered, and all the tables pushed aside. Danny made his way to the center of the room, taking notice of something; a lone blade, sticking out from one of the corpses. Moving toward it, danny put on a set of black gloves that came with his combat uniform, which he was wearing under his civilian attire. Reaching out to grab it, he was surprised to find that even through the gloves, his skin felt a severe burning sensation as he grabbed it. What was it?! Danny looked closer, and with little more than a glimpse from his mystic eye, he found several runic symbols running along it, glowing golden.

"Blessed blades..." Danny growled.

"Whoever this guy is, he's definitely a pro. What do you think, Seras?" He turned to her showing her the blade.

Seras eyes immediately widened in shock. She recognized that blade, and there was only one person she knew of who could use it to this effect.

"Danny! We have to get out of here right now!"

The warning came too late. A heavy object came crashing down from the ceiling, surrounded by mysterious glowing pages that spiraled around its form. Thanks to his heightened abilities, Danny sensed what was happening, and was able to dodge and roll away. The pages dispersed, and started pinning themselves along the walls. To Danny's eye, it was as if an electrical barrier was set up around them.

"What's up with those pages!?" Danny yelled, taking a closer look.

"Wait a minute... This is a page from Exodus! And... one from Job, and Genesis...! They're pages of scripture!"

Seras wasn't listening. Her gaze was instead focused on something in the middle of the room. Danny's attention soon came to focus their two, as a giant of a man stood up, wearing a long trench-coat, stylized like the robes of a Catholic priest. He had a gruff appearance, with short blonde hair, green eyes, and a scar on his left cheek. He wore glasses, and a silver cross hanged around his neck. In either hand, he brandished twin bayonets like the one Danny got a glimpse at.

"I am a messenger of God, an agent of divine wrath on Earth. I am called upon to cut away the flesh infidels, and abolish from his presence, the unholy and unrighteous!"

The man brought up his two bayonets, and clashed them together in the shape of the cross.

"AMEN!"

_'Great, one more weirdo to deal with,'_ Danny thought as he prepared to fight.

"Father Anderson!" Seras exclaimed.

Now it was Danny's turn to be shocked.

"You know this guy!?" He looked at her with surprise and suspicion.

"He's a vampire hunter, and agent of Vatican Special Operations Division XIII. They're known by another name: The Iscariot Organization." Seras enlightened.

" 'Iscariot'!? Wait, if he's a vampire hunter, shouldn't he be on our side!?"

Seras shook her head.

"I'm afraid that's not the case. We may fight for the same cause, but the Vatican has always despised the Protestant Church, which is directly linked to Hellsing. That and the fact that Hellsing seems to be in the habit of employing inhuman creatures to fight inhuman creatures," She looked at Danny, "means that they hate us almost as much as they hate the demons they hunt. But there's still something I don't understand..."

Seras turned back to Anderson, now holding her ground against the Iscariot agent on her own.

"Tell me, Alexander, why have you come back? I thought you were retired! Hell, I'm surprised you can even stand after what you went through!"

"I have my obligations, Seras Victoria. Obligations that cannot be ignored..."

He lifted his arm, pointing his bayonet at the two of them.

"You are trespassing on **Catholic** land. This is the jurisdiction of Iscariot. I have been ordered to take you in for questioning, by any means necessary."

Seras tried to reason with him.

"Anderson, we don't have time for this! Those monsters are planning something big and -! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

Seras yelled astonished to find Danny stalking towards Anderson, with a familiar look in his eye. It was the look of a man who had abandoned words and formalities, for he already knew they were worthless. The look of a man who's mind was made up, who had already thrown down the gauntlet. Danny was out for blood. And Anderson stood in his way.

"We are on a mission, and we have to return to our headquarters. You did well for an ordinary human against those beasts, but you won't be catching me off guard. I'm giving you this one chance, **choir boy**: Let us through, or die."

Seras's jaw nearly hit the floor when she heard this! Danny had no idea who or what he was up against! This wasn't some low-class vampire berserker from the streets! This was Paladin Alexander Anderson! Iscariot's greatest soldier, and the only enemy Alucard acknowledges as an equal!

"Well you're quite the arrogant one aren't you? And you would be...?" Anderson questioned.

"A child of death, and a nightmare to you." Danny growled.

Anderson couldn't help but chuckle, a cocky grin spreading across his face.

"Ah haha, so you must be Hellsing's new 'pet', eh? You know, I was a little excited when I heard I'd be going up against a new vampire, but I expected someone a bit... taller."

Danny's eye twitched somewhat.

"I only look young. I've fought opponents much stronger than you and come out on top. I'll say it again: move, or be moved."

Seras knew she had to salvage the situation quickly before it got out of hand.

"Danny, Anderson, please! Be reasonable here -!"

"It's too late for that, missy," Anderson interrupted, eyes fixed on the younger vampire glaring at him, "he's already thrown down the gauntlet. And I think he knows that I've picked it up."

"But-!"

Seras was interrupted again as she felt something being pushed into her arms. She looked down and found she was holding Danny's rifle.

Danny walked forward a few steps, separating himself from Seras. Taking a stance he gracefully unsheathed his sword and performed some stylish twirls, showing off his control and mastery of the blade, before shifting into a final stance with the blade raised and the point aimed towards Anderson.

Anderson grinned at the challenge. Perhaps this would be fun after all. He in turn gave each of his blades a twirl, and with a cry of battle, charged Danny. Danny dashed towards his foe in turn, and they both slashed at each other, Anderson with a twin downward strike, and Danny carving upwards. Steel clashed with steel, as the two pushed against one another trying to get an edge in.

Anderson's grin left his face when Danny smirked. Danny let loose on the pressure and pivoted to the side, allowing the built up force of their push fight to throw Anderson off balance as he began to fall forward where Danny once stood. Danny took this opportunity to slash at his exposed flank, drawing blood and getting in deep to the flesh. As Anderson fell past him, Danny pivoted again and made a wide and powerful slash across his back, sending waves of pain coursing through the Paladin. As the Iscariot crumbled to the ground, Danny followed up with a powerful kick to his side, sending him crashing into some tables, and tumbling into a wall where he slumped, unconscious. Danny cleaned the blood off his sword, and sheathed it, looking at his fallen foe.

"You attacked a vampire coven in the middle of the night, armed with only close range weapons and no backup. You barley even tried to dodge my attacks. You're brave, I'll give you that. But you're an idiot as well."

He started walking away.

"I have superhuman abilities. If you're gonna hunt vampires as a human, always bring backup, and always make sure you have the element of surprise. You owe your friends and family at least that one shred of caution."

He turned to his partner, who looked very much stunned.

"Seras, grab a first aid kit and one of those giant table cloths."

"Huh!?" Seras uttered, surprised.

"That wound of his is superficial. If we act quickly we can stop the bleeding long enough to get him to a hospital."

"But, why on earth would you-?"

Danny looked her straight in the eye.

"An unnecessary casualty. He's just an ordinary human who didn't know any better. He doesn't deserve to die. Now, let's move quickly before -!"

Danny could sense something wrong. His vampire sense was going berserk, and he could feel a presence coming up behind him. However, he was so surprised at the speed of the attacker, that he couldn't dodge the two blessed bayonets piercing through either shoulder from behind.

"WHAT!?" Danny yelled.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The assailant lifted Danny and threw him through the air, his body sliding off the blades as he went flying.

_'What in the fuck!? He should be out cold!'_

Danny landed on both hands, and pushed himself up again. Still airborne, he turned around and whipped out his twin pistols, firing them at the Paladin that had just attacked him. The celt managed to dodge and deflect a couple shots, but soon was stopped as one bullet hit his shoulder, then a couple more in his get, then one in the head, which sent him to the ground.

Danny landed, still aiming at his target.

_'Alright, I'm sure I hit him with a lethal shot, he should be-! IMPOSSIBLE!'_

Despite a direct headshot, Danny could still hear a heart pounding, nerves firing, and muscles flexing. To Danny's horror, Anderson pulled himself up, a wild smile plastered on his face.

"HAAAAAA!" Anderson charged.

Danny fired every last bullet he had, but Anderson was like a mad bear, ignoring every shot, focused only on ripping the vampire in front of him to pieces. Using some sort of sorcery, he 'miracled' several blades into each hand, and threw them at Danny. The blades arched through the air with missile-like grace, charged with holy energy. Quickly, Danny drew his sword, and focused on his senses. The blades were quickly deflected one after the other as they came into contact with a spinning sphere of metal formed by a rapidly moving katana.

Wasting no time, Danny charged at his enemy, running along a wall to get an angle in. He lunged and slashed, his blows being parried by Anderson. They stepped and jumped around one another, steel clashing against steel, as each tried to harm the other. To Seras, it was a sight to behold.

"But as this rate, the mission will be compromised long before a winner decided!"

Suddenly, the two broke from each other, sliding to opposite ends of the room, facing each other with weapons raised. Danny panted from exhaustion. Now he was beginning to see why Seras seemed to fear Anderson so much.

_'But how in heaven's name is he still alive!? He can't be a vampire!'_

Danny's eyes widened as he watched Anderson. Anderson took a deep breath, and Danny noticed his wounds. The slashes healing rapidly, and bullets were being pushed out of their holes. In mere seconds, Anderson stood fully healed, grinning like a maniac.

"AMEN!"

_'What the hell am I up against!? Wolverine's long lost Catholic brother!?'_

"Just what in God's name are you, you freak!?" Danny yelled.

Anderson just chuckled slightly.

"I'm a **Regenerator**, boy. A living weapon engineered by the human race to combat vile monsters like you!"

Now Danny was really surprised.

"Artificially accelerated healing!? I thought that technology wouldn't be invented for another 50 years at least!"

"Oh believe me," Anderson said, "It's been around for a while. A divine scientific miracle, that we Iscariots have used for many years in battling the forces of darkness, centuries before Hellsing ever existed!"

The two dashed at each other again, exchanging blows before stopping in another push. This time, both were upright, Danny pushing a vertical slash while Anderson blocked it with two blades held horizontally.

"Regenerator or not, it doesn't matter to me! I held back because you were human, but I'm not gonna be merciful anymore!"

Danny pushed Anderson back step by step, his monstrous strength showing up Anderson's. Anderson glared and grunted as he pushed back against Danny's advance, taken aback by the surge of malevolent energy being exhumed by the boy.

"Vampire, human, paladin, if you stand in my way, then you are my enemy, and I will destroy you!"

With one last push of strength, Danny brought his blade down, breaking Anderson's defence and forcing him to jump back several meters to dodge the blade.

Danny charged again, anger and killer intent driving his every move. Anderson flicked his hand, and suddenly a wave of biblical pages sprung off the walls and enveloped themselves around Danny.

"AHHHHH!" Danny screamed, electrical charges of holy energy rippling through his body, threatening to disintegrate him.

"It's over now, boy. No vampire can escape the tomb I've prepared for you. Now sit tight while I -!"

A shadow matter tendril arched through the air, the tip in the shape of a scythe-like blade. Anderson had just enough time to parry as Seras followed. Flipping in midair, she aimed a downward heel-kick to Anderson's head, which he thankfully avoided. Seras crashed into the ground, the impact throwing up debris and creating a large crater. When the dust cleared, Seras stood glaring at Anderson, her left arm transformed into shadowmatter.

"Whether I like it or not, that boy is my partner and teammate. I will not let you touch him, Alexander!"

Anderson stood, blades ready.

"Bring it on, girly."

But before the two could have a go...

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH...!"

The looked behind them to see Danny wrapped in the pages, but this time, red electrical sparks arched around his form. Anderson was astonished to find that despite the holy energies tearing into him, Danny was somehow building up even more energy! He was even starting to stand!

"Impossible! He should be writhing in agony!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGG!"

His aura surged, a strong wind picked up, pushing all others away. With a last push of strength, Danny expelled the papers away, setting them on flames, roaring to the sky like feral beast.

"Alright, now I'm MAD!" He growled through raspy breaths.

He charged at Anderson head-on, not even bothering to pick up his sword, hands clutched into fists. Anderson dodged the first blow, and tried to get a blow in. Before it could make contact, A shadowmatter arm wrapped around Danny's torso and pulled him back towards it's owner.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Danny shouted at Seras.

"Saving YOUR life!" She retorted.

"I don't need any saving, NOW STAY OUT OF THIS!" He wriggled free, kicking her in the stomach and sending her back a few feet. Again he charged Anderson, but he was ready for Danny. He jumped into the air above Danny, and let loose a volley of bayonets. The blades pierced into Danny's back, and out the other side knocking him to the ground. Danny coughed in pain, but miraculously, not a single blade had pierced his heart. Before he could get up, Anderson let loose three more blades, one through each leg, and one through both of his hands overtop the other, effectively nailing him to the would. Danny was trapped, helpless.

He looked up to see Anderson standing in front of him, brandishing two blades, a look of deadly killer intent on his face.

_'No... NO! It CAN'T end like this! I've come to far! I've sacrificed too much to die at this man's hand!'_

"It's over. May He be merciful to you in the afterlife!"

Anderson raised his blades, to deliver the final blow...

*BANG! BANG! BANG!*

He was interrupted when a black cloud of spiraling smoke materialized out of nowhere over the fallen vampire, and several gunshots rang out, shattering his blades and sending him back a few meters as he avoided the last shot. Looking up to identify this new adversary, he felt his blood run cold for a moment, followed by a rush of adrenaline and excitement as he took notice of who it was. That blood-red trench coat, that black as night hair, and that arrogant smile. Standing over Danny, Casull in hand, braced on his free arm's elbow, was Alucard.

"Master!" Seras called out, both relieved and overjoyed.

Alucard grinned, excited to be reunited with his old "playmate."

"That's enough. This fight is over, Father Anderson. I'd back down if I were you. There's no need for things to get any more out of hand."

Danny squirmed, trying to get loose of his bonds.

"What-! What the...hell... are you doing here!?" Danny gasped through the pain.

Alucard looked down on him.

"Don't move, and don't talk. You've been stabbed with blessed blades. I'll deal with you in a moment. But first," He looked back up at the warrior-priest in front of him, "I want a few words with my 'old friend'."

Anderson's smile had returned to his face as he stood in front of the man he both despised, and admired, the most.

"Heh heh heh... Well, this certainly is a surprise. How long have you been there?"

"Don't be surprised, Father," Alucard chuckled, "After all, I am 'everywhere and nowhere'."

Anderson's smile remained, but his tone was of absolute seriousness.

"You know that this is grave violation of the boundary agreement we made, right?"

"Of course we do," Alucard replied, "But I can't allow my associates be taken captive. What kind of shadow organization would we be if our agents got taken in by papists at every turn?"

Anderson glared.

"Whether you like it or not, they're under arrest. If you want to do something about it..."

He flicked his blades and then clashed them together in his trademark cross-shape.

"Then try and stop me."

Alucard leaped into the air and fired several shots at the Paladin. Anderson raced away from the oncoming fire and hurled two blades at Alucard, who vanished using teleportation. Thinking quickly, Anderson whirled around bringing his blade down to slash at Alucard, who vanished again, grinning maniacally. This game of Alucard keep-away went on for a few more seconds, until the Iscariot went for one last horizontal slash, which Alucard caught at the wrist, stopping him in his tracks. Alucard raised his Casull to take a shot at his head, but Anderson deflected the shot by dropping his own blade and grabbing the vampire's wrist as well. So the two of them were stuck there, trying to get there attack in whilst avoiding attack themselves.

"This coven was OURS to destroy! OURS to pillage! Your interference will not be tolerated, you monster!"

Alucard grinned.

"Believe me, I'd like nothing more than to catch up on old times, but unfortunately, I have my orders. Tell me," Alucard's voice dropped low so it could not be heard by Seras or Danny, "How about we pay for our escape? We can offer you quite the reward..."

Alexander looked like someone had just called him a retarded monkey.

"You think you can bribe me into letting you pass!? NEVER! I'd sooner die than take money from you!"

Alucard smiled even wider, which would've seemed physically impossible.

"I'm not talking about money. I'm talking about **intel**."

Alexander looked interested. Seras looked surprised. And Danny looked absolutely outraged.

"What!? What the fuck do you think you're doing!? We can't sell military secrets to our adversaries, human or not! Just stay the hell out of-"

Alucard glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

" **Silence.** As much as I'd like to see you get your ass kicked again, I think you'd be better off on the ground, little pup."

"You cowardly, spineless, back stabbing undead PIECE OF CUNT SHIT!" Danny roared.

"I'LL TEACH YOU TO FUCKIN' INTERRUPT MY FIGHTS! LET ME OFF THE GODDAMN FLOOR! I'LL PAINT THE FUCKIN' WALLS WITH YOUR SORRY ASS! I'M GONNA SHOVE THIS RIFLE DOWN YOUR THROAT AND BLOW YOUR ORGANS OUT! I'M GONNA MAKE YOU HURT IN PLACES YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW COULD HURT! COMON, LET ME AT HIM! **LET ME AT HIM!"**

Alucard chuckled heartily.

"Quite the lively one isn't he?" he giggled.

Even Anderson couldn't help but smirk a little.

"Just where in God's name do you keep finding these lunatics?"

"I dunno," Alucard replied nonchalantly, "where in the Hell did Iscariot ever find **you?**"

"Tch," Alexander snorted, "good point."

Alucard looked back at his foe.

"Now, about that deal, here's what I propose: we'll share every scrap of info we have collected on this little 'reconnaissance' mission of ours. Every thing we know, you'll know. In this way we haven't really robbed you of anything. You'll still have a story to tell your bosses, and hey, you even got a brawl with our new recruit."

He looked at Danny again.

"Still hanging tough, sport?"

"GO FUCK YOURSELF WITH A CACTUS!"

He returned his gaze to Anderson.

"Integra's already pitted the deal to your bosses. I wonder what they'll think of the matter?"

As if on cue, a phone started ringing. The two warriors broke from their face off, and stepped back. Anderson reached into his back pocket, and flipped out a cell phone.

"Yes?...Uh-huh... Yeah... You're **certain?**...*sigh*, FINE. As you command..."

He replaced his phone, and sheathed his blades.

"Well, looks like you win this round, old foe." He said begrudgingly.

"Oh, I wouldn't look at this as a total loss," Said Alucard, also putting away his weapon, "I think you'll find the intel we're carrying quite interesting."

The two started moving towards the door, when Alucard called back to Seras.

"Get those blades out of the brat. That Osprey is still due to pick us up in a few hours, and we can't delay."

Seras nodded, "Yes sir!"

Quickly, she moved towards a still struggling Daniel.

"Okay, now hold still, this'll hurt..."

"Get my hands free first. I can do the rest."

Seras scowled at him.

"This isn't like taking out an ordinary knife where you just regenerate after a couple seconds! These were made by blessed blades! You'll be lucky if they heal in a couple weeks -"

"I SAID GET THEM OUT OF MY GODDAMNED HANDS!"

He shouted at Seras, turning his head to shout directly at her, briefly scaring her. She then glared at the boy, having had enough of him.

"Fine. There you GO!"

She ripped out the blade with as much force as possible, causing a surge of pain to ripple through Danny.

"ARGH! SONOVAFUCKIN-! Grrrrrr..." He gritted his teeth, frowning at Seras.

Seras just looked at him through half open eyes, arms crossed across her chest.

"You SAID you wanted them out." She stated bitterly.

Danny just glared at her. Muscling though the pain of having a dozen blades pierced through his abdomen, he forced himself upright, before violently ripping out the blades in his legs, and forcing himself onto his feet.

At this point even Seras was starting to get concerned.

"Uh, hey maybe you shouldn't-"

"SHUT UP!" Danny roared, walking forward and plucking blades out as he walked.

"I should've -ARGH!- never agreed to -FUCK!- be partnered -DAMN IT!- with a ditz like you!"

Seras stormed after him, anger propelling her every step.

"In case you didn't notice, not only did I retrieve the data, but I also saved your miserable little life back there!"

As he went for the last blade, Danny stopped, then whipped around until he was but a hair's breadth away from her face.

"I NEVER ASKED FOR YOUR HELP! I WAS DOING FINE ON MY OWN!"

Seras wouldn't give him an edge.

"You have no idea who you were fighting! Alexander Anderson is Iscariot's finest soldier! He's killed more monsters and 'heathens' than most people humans have met in their lifetime! He's the only human ever to fight Alucard as an equal since Van Hellsing, and is the only one I've seen who's ever come close to killing him!"

They were just inches from each other. Two vampires, two soldiers, two children of the night, neither wanting to give the other the upper hand. Silently fighting out a monstrous battle.

"You still think you could've taken him?" Seras challenged, raising an eyebrow.

Danny didn't speak. He just stared long and hard at the vampiress, making her even more uneasy. His eyes glowered with a fiery intensity that could unmake even the most hardened of men. A vampire's eyes were natural pools of villainy, but Danny's radiated with something that could only be described as pure, unchecked malice. Hatred and anger, rooted deep within him that threatened to burn everything and everyone that stood in it's way. And a single, determined objective and will were the only two things channeling that hatred, preventing it from burning the whole world to the ground.

"I will only say this once. Don't. EVER. Get in my way again."

His voice was barley a whisper, but that whisper felt like the roar of a mad titan, the growling of a tiger ready to pounce, and the cold emptiness of death all tangled into one, horrible sound.

...

Danny, Seras, Alucard and Anderson, picked up the Osprey on the Eiffel Tower, where they found a rather disappointed looking Sir Integra waiting for them. After a short debriefing on the events that transpired that night (though Danny kept several details of his own experience to himself), they made for Rome. The Osprey landed on an airstrip on the outskirts of Rome several hours later. As part of the agreement, Anderson was being given a free ride home to report to his seniors. The party exited the Osprey and stood on the airfield, where a group of several other Iscariot troops stood waiting. Most notably, Seras could pick out Father Renaldo, and Heinkel Wolfe.

"The data is all here on this Hard Drive," Alucard explained, "we already have our copy. This should help boost your future endeavors in fighting the vampire threat that seems to have come up."

Anderson took the disk and handed it to Renaldo.

"Thank you for your cooperation. But don't think we'll let you off so easily next time."

Integra smiled through her cigar.

"Wouldn't dream of it, **papist**."

Danny said nothing. He just stood their, glaring angrily, as he found himself doing often.

"Well Anderson, I guess you can return to the orphanage until we need you again."

"Hmph," Anderson scoffed, "Bout time to."

"Don't trip over your gown on the way, Judas Priest." Alucard mocked.

Anderson looked over his shoulder, a mischevious grin on his face.

"I'll remember that. Kill ya next time ya monstrous heathen."

"You too, you Catholic sociopath!" Alucard waved.

"Oh, give me a FUCKING BREAK!"

The group all turned suddenly towards the source of the unexpected outburst.

"I'm sure you're all sooo damn happy that everything worked out without a major hitch..."

Danny stepped forth, before shooting Integra a scowl.

"Well, FUCK THAT! I'm not gonna sit around and pretend to be happy! What about these Goddamn gashes in my hands!? HUH!?" Danny gestured in a short back hand motion, showing off the still not fully healed wound from the earlier fight.

Just watching him get so intense after a staying up all night keeping tabs on the operation was enough to bring on one of Integra's migraines.

"Can't you just let it go?" She complained.

"Come on boss, you know that's not cool." Danny stepped towards the center, staring hard at Anderson.

"Even the lowliest criminals have a code of honor. We're settling this. Right here, and right now."

Alucard laughed a long haughty laugh, much to the exasperation of Seras and Integra.

"Well, I don't see why not. If you think you're up for it, than why don't you go ahead and give us a show?" Alucard said, egging him on.

"WHAT!?" Seras and Integra shouted.

"Have you lost your bloody mind!? I'll not have a massacre here!" Integra ordered.

Alucard seemed indifferent.

"You don't need to worry. In case you didn't notice, he's not carrying any weapons on him right now, so I doubt anyone will get hurt to badly."

Anderson gritted his teeth. He had had just about enough of this arrogant brat. If he wanted to get beaten down again, so be it!

He turned around to face Danny, reached into his coat, and through all his bayonets to the ground. Several Iscariot soldiers looked in awe of what they were about to see.

Alucard looked at Renaldo.

"I take it you have no objections either?"

Renaldo just smirked.

"If they want to beat each other up, I say let em'. It should be fun to watch either way."

Alucard grinned wildly.

"Well, I think that's about all there is to it then."

At this point, even Integra seemed to intrigued to see a little action.

"A few rounds of straight fist fighting until they're both satisfied, huh? Fine, have at it then. Just make it brief Daniel. I want to get back to England and catch some rest."

By that time, Danny and Anderson were already standing just a few feet away from each other, already sizing each other up again.

"Tch," Danny scoffed, "Fine. I'm gonna make you uglier, you freak."

"You gonna tie your shoes before you start?"

Danny just bared hist teeth. Like he was gonna fall for that!

Anderson just kept watching him. Not batting an eye... Slowly, Daniel looked down...

"HA!" *POW!*

Anderson's fist crashed into Danny's face in a devastating uppercut.

_'DAMN IT!_'

Danny sent a return blow to Anderson's face, feeling bone crunch against his might, before delivering a blow to the stomach, and a knee to the skull, sending him backwards. Anderson followed up with a roundhouse kick that caught Danny in the gut, but he grabbed him as he fell back, and soon the two were wrestling on the ground, rolling about and sending blows into each other's faces, which were already bloodied.

Seras just couldn't stand the sight in front of her.

"M-master! We have to stop this!"

Alucard and Integra both looked at her with curious expressions.

"Why?"

"It's a good fight."

Seras couldn't believe how completely apathetic the two were being.

"Because it's completely barbaric! Surely you must see this Integra!" She squealed, pointing to the two boys now trying to get each other into a submission hold. But, being rapid healers meant that more often than not, they'd just break their bones and get out.

"Well then, if you're so bothered by it, then why don't you try and stop them?" Integra casually suggested.

"W-w-w-what!? Me!?" Seras pointed to herself.

"Well you SAID you didn't like this," Alucard added, "So go on! Really! We don't mind.." He grinned maniacally.

Seras shuffled awkwardly over to the two brawlers, who seemed to go from back on their feet to down on the ground every other second.

"Um... guys?"

Danny head-butted Anderson, sending them both into a daze, before he charged at him, only for Anderson to Judo-throw him to the ground again.

"Uh... why don't you guys just try and talk this out?" She suggested weakly, "I'm sure you guys have more in common than you thi-"

"SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!/FUCK OFF YOU DEMON!" They shouted before returning to fighting.

"... Or, I could do that." She turned back, head hung in defeat.

Alucard raised an eyebrow at his fledgling whilst smiling.

"Well, what did you expect?"

*5 HOURS LATER*

"HAAAAAAA-OOF!" The two hit each other again, and stumbled back. Integra had smoked nearly all of her cigars. The sun was bright, and it was almost high noon. The two combatants had started to grow exhausted. Anderson's regeneration was starting to wear out, and the sun was making Danny weary. Despite that, the two kept at each other, determined to win.

"They just won't give up, will they?" Integra stated.

"This is actually starting to bore me..." Alucard groaned.

Danny and Anderson stood facing each other, panting heavily.

"Why... hah...hah..why won't you go down!? Just die already will ya!?" Danny shouted.

"Huh...Huh...Same...To you... Why won't you... just..." Anderson panted, disoriented.

The two stumbled towards each other fists raised.

_'I'm not gonna lose to this guy!'_

_'I won't be beaten by a child!"_

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" The yelled.

*Crash*

Their blows collided with each other's heads, and they both crashed to the ground, unconscious.

"Ugh, THERE! It's a DRAW! Can we go home now!?" Integra barked.

"Seras! Grab Danny and haul him into the bloody plane!"

Seras nodded, and raced to get him inside...

...

**A/N: ...Well, Shit! This took for-fucking-EVER! Sorry about that guys, but I've been just a wee-bit preoccupied with things like bowling, dining, and terrorizing the neighbourhood with my amigos. Oh, and some writing scholarship thing too. BUT! I'm still alive, and still writing.**

**And, Danny got OWNED! Take that, ya bastard! And that's not all I have in store for you! Oh hell no! Next chapter is no fights to tear you to pieces. It's nothing but you, Seras, and CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! Get ready to relive all your traumatizing experiences and talk about your problems!**

"I fucking hate everything about you."

**Yes, I know. Anyway, Next time: "Getting to Know You: Danny's Secrets Revealed!"**

**The tension heats up...**

**(Special thanks to SuperTifa and Sasusakui) REVIEW PLZ AND THKS!**


	7. The Truth RevealedGetting to Know You

**Chapter 7**

**A/N: Well it's about freaking time! Here it is! Danny gets caught, and a little bit of one-on-one character development with everyone's favorite police girl! Special thanks goes to ALL MY REVIEWERS! **

Seras, Alucard, and Integra arrived at the Hellsing Manor shortly before 7:30. The mission had taken nearly two full days to complete, and the last 24 hours had been sleepless for all parties involved. So the first order of the day was rest.

"Seras, get Danny into his coffin. Afterwards you're off-duty until otherwise specified."

"Thank you, Sir Integra." Seras replied, grateful for the downtime that she had been given.

Seras walked the quiet halls of the Hellsing manor, carrying the unconscious boy over her shoulder until she came to Danny's room. Carefully, she opened the door and walked in. The room was a rather quaint set up. A large coffin, like hers, in the center. A wardrobe to her right, and a desk on her left. It seemed clear of all personal belongings, and the drawers had been locked up.

"I guess he really doesn't want anyone else to know to much about him." She thought suspiciously.

Ignoring the matter, she walked over to his coffin, opened the lid, and carefully set the badly beaten boy inside, before closing it on him.

"Sleep well..." she muttered, before walking out and closing the door behind her.

_"Well that was... Interesting, to say the least."_ Pip quipped.

_"He's skilled, intelligent, and a master strategist. His fighting prowess is not to be underestimated. He's quite the soldier..."_

Seras thought back on that time at the Banke Hotel. He was precise, agile, and completely merciless. But he was also brash and arrogant.

_"He nearly went berserk when he was going against Anderson,"_ She mentally replied, _"And even afterward he was still so adamant about beating him. Why? Why get so worked up over something like that?"_

Pip laughed under his breath.

_"You don't get it at all, do you Seras? He probably just wanted to show off. We're like that, us A-Dogs. When we're faced with a challenge, we don't back down until we win. Kinda like Anderson and Alucard way back when, don't you think?"_

_"That's what's so scary about it."_ Seras shivered.

But that wasn't the only thing. Seras could tell it was more than that. That look that Danny gave her, that sheer aura of hatred that permeated his entire being, you don't just get like that from a simple fight. That kind of anger only comes with being implanted, nurtured, like a seed in the ground. Something happened to him to make him this way. How long ago was it? She couldn't really tell. He may look like a 17-year-old boy, but he could easily be 170 just the same. He had acted so cold, so professional, so emotionless before. Then suddenly, he was like a raging bull, driven mad with anger.

More and more, that guy was proving to be a frustrating puzzle.

...

_My back slammed against the concrete wall, breaking the stone, and more than a few bones. I didn't even have enough breath to gasp out in pain. A fist crashed into my stomach, the force hurled me several feet into the air. The world spun around as I fell, only to feel a powerful kick send me flying and crashing through a tree. I slumped to the ground, gasping out in pain. I feel a hand grab me by my head and pull me up, amplifying the physical agony I was being put through. _

_The man wore a cloak with a high collar, black on the outside and blood-red on the inside lining. It was held at his shoulders by two large golden buttons that ran down either side his Victorian tuxedo. His face was pale, the features European, but one with a keen eye could pick out some strangely Arabian features in his face. His hair was black, with streaks of silver, slicked back with some spikes of hair curving out. He had cruel eyebrows, thick sideburns, and a long mustache that joined into a short goatee that pointed and curved out slightly. His eyes were a blood red, the pupils slitted and the edges of the irises fading into a glowering, fiery amber._

_Without a doubt, they were the most vile, cruel, heartless eyes I had ever stared into._

_"Pathetic." He threw me again, following up with punches that hit in rapid succession with superhuman force and speed. He struck out a final time with an open-palmed blow to my sternum, and I felt a sickening crack as I flew backwards and crashed into the ground._

_"Don't get cocky. You may have been endowed with SOME of my strength, but don't think for an instant that by becoming a vampire that you even stand a small sliver of a chance against me."_

_"You...bastard..." I coughed out._

_"Oh? Still alive?" He stomped his foot on my hand, and I cried out in pain as I felt the bones braking under it._

_"It was a mere accident that you were spawned. A careless act on my part. I suppose I really ought to kill you..."_

_He raised his hand, finger outstretched and held together, those fine, curved claws making it seem like a blade... Well, if I'm to die, at least I died fighting for them..._

_"But I don't think I will."_

_...What?_

_"No. I think this is a more suitable defeat for you. I've taken away your home, your family, and your humanity. Now I'll leave you to rot. You'll walk the earth an eternal blight on your own kind, spiraling towards judgement day, a hated and scorned monster of the world. Just like the rest of our kind."_

_Bastard...BASTARD! How much more do you plan to ruin me until you're satisfied you GOD DAMNED MONSTER!_

_"Ah, now that's a nice expression." He smiles a horrible, wicked smile. What I wouldn't give to break him into a million pieces right now._

_"That's right. Hate me. Despise me. Let every thought of me inspire rage, and every memory of the life you had be fuel for the fire."_

_I can't stand. I can't move. Everything hurts too much. I'm still losing blood. I feel so weak..._

_He's turned his back to me. Walking away again. I've failed..._

_"Oh, quit whining." He barks._

_"You'll heal in a few moments time. You're a vampire now, and that means you're not allowed to give up so easily."_

_He turns to me again._

_"If you truly hate me, if you wish to avenge your family, and restore honor to their hallowed name, then live. Cling to your wretched life. Master this dark power you've been graced with, hunt me down until you've scoured every corner of the earth. And then, when you've killed all who stand in your way, and you've become a _**_true_**_ nosferatu, we will face each other once again..."_

_His cloak shifts into a pair of bat-like wings, and he ascends._

_"Farewell, Daniel Crusnikov."_

_And like that he's gone. I feel darkness cloud my vision...red lights approaching.. sirens...voices..._

_I drift in and out of reality as I'm carried away to God knows where._

_"Quick! We've got to get him stabilized!"_

_"Shit, how is this kid even still alive?"_

_I reach out, almost involuntarily..._

_"He's moving!"_

_"How on earth!? The IV is completely flatlining!"_

_"It must be an error, forget the damned thing! Keep him awake!"_

_I'm trying to open my eyes, but they feel so heavy..._

_"Stay alive kid...Come on, just hang in there..."_

_..._

_I wake up to white walls all around me. Light is shining in my face. I'm covered in bandages, and everything hurts like hell._

_"Oh, good! You're awake!"_

_A nurse rushes towards me, concern on her face._

_"We tried to treat your injuries as best we could, but for some reason our IV machines couldn't read you. You scared us all several times!"_

_"Where... Where am I?"_

_"New York General Hospital," She replies, "You've been out for about an hour I'd say."_

_She stands up and reviews a clipboard._

_"I will say this: your rate of recovery is astonishing! Your cells and tissues have already begun healing. At this rate, you should be out of here in about a day or so."_

_A day? I felt my bones break, my muscles tear, and I nearly bled out! _

_So this is a vampire's healing factor?_

_..._

_All my bandages have been removed. I'm sitting on my bed, taking in blood from a tube. I need to receive it every 4 hours. The doctor's think I'm anemic. They don't know a thing. They have no idea what's out there..._

_A police officer walks into my room._

_"Are you Daniel Crusnikov?"_

_I look up at him briefly, than down again. I have nothing to say._

_"I'm officer Teddy Browns, NYPD. We've been brought up to speed on what happened."_

_He's gone. Mom's gone. Dad's gone. They're all gone._

_He moves over to me, and sits on the foot of my bed, concern etched on his face._

_"Listen, I know that this is hard for you. But I need to know who did this to you. Do you get the name of the guy? Do you know of anyone your parents might have... provoked?"_

_I don't want to talk to him. I don't want to think about it._

_"I understand your father was one of New York's wealthiest investors, can you think of any deals that might have gone awry? A business scandal, or -"_

_"SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH!" I scream at the top of my lungs, reaching over and grabbing him by the collar._

_"You shut your damn mouth you little pee-on! You don't know anything! You don't know a damn thing about me or my father! My father was a brilliant man! There wasn't a kinder, nobler, more loving soul in the entirety of this decadent, rotten city! He built orphanages, he funded construction projects and universities and scholarships! He went out of his way to build shelters for the homeless, even delivering fresh meals to them with me and my mother whenever he wasn't working or dealing with me! He did more for this city than you could ever hope to accomplish in fifty years as a cop!"_

_The man looked both shocked and sad at the same time. I couldn't hold it back anymore. The tears were streaming down my face. I just broke down._

_"He... he was the best father any child could have asked for... he inspired me to do right, to help others... to be the best I could be... When I was bullied back in third grade, he taught me to fight, and he taught me not only so I could defend myself, but so I could defend my classmates... he-he looked at me and said... he said... 'You have to power to help yourself... now use it... to help those... you love..."_

_I just started sobbing. My hands dropped to my side._

_"He was always patient with me. He always looked out for me, and he never hit me although Lord knows I was asking for it... and now he's... he's..."_

_I buried my head in my hands and just sat there, crying. For how long I don't know. It felt like an eternity had passed before I got the nerve to speak again. And that cop... he was still there, just sitting. Watching me, like he had seen this kind of thing his whole life... his whole life, and still hadn't quite gotten used to it._

_"My mother was beautiful... and kind... she always baked for me and my friends... wow, when she was mad though..._

_"It's my fault... It's all my fault! If I hadn't been so slow, so scared, maybe I could have saved them! But I didn't, I couldn't, oh God IT'S ALL MY FAULT!"_

_I broke from my hysteria when I felt a pair of strong hand grasp me on my shoulders and shake me slightly. I looked up to see that same cop again._

_"Now listen to me, young man. What happened back there was _**_not. your. fault_**_."_

_I tried to look down again, I couldn't meet his gaze. I felt like a child. A stupid, ignorant child, crying wildly in confusion. He brought his hand under my chin and tilted my head back up so I was looking him in the eye._

_"It was _**_him._**_ And him alone. He killed them. He did this to you. There was _**_nothing_**_ you could have done."_

_I just kept crying. I couldn't take it anymore._

_"I have no idea who did this... I didn't get a name, or anything... This happened out of nowhere, unprovoked, random. It was a senseless, unjustified slaughter... my father didn't do anything dirty or underhanded. These guys just came out of nowhere, and they murdered him and mom in cold blood... WHY!? WHY THEM!? WHY DID THEY HAVE TO PICK US!? WHAT REASON COULD THEY HAVE HAD!? EXPLAIN THIS TO ME!"_

_The cop just looked exasperated._

_"I don't know any more than you do, kid. I wish I knew exactly who this bastard was so I could teach him a lesson myself..."_

_He stands up off of the bed._

_"But I promise you this: We _**_will_**_ find him. We're good at what we do."_

_He walks over to the door._

_"I'm gonna go talk with my men. Get some rest kid. You'll need it for tomorrow."_

_"...What did you say your name was again?" I asked._

_"Officer Teddy Browns."_

_I sniff slightly, before looking at him._

_"...Thanks for your help, Officer Browns."_

_He smiles weakly, before leaving._

_"Poor kid..." He mutters._

_I stand up, my bandages cast aside. The window's big enough. I grab my clothes, put them on, and slip my hood on over my head._

_"I'm sorry..." I crouch on the edge of the window, looking at the long drop._

_"But a promise isn't enough."_

_I leap, fall several stories, before crashing into the ground._

_Miraculously, I am unharmed. My body density must have increased. It's pouring rain outside, but I pay it no heed. I have to do this on my own. They'll never be able to track him. Only a vampire can find a vampire. I can't wait around expecting life to return to normal. Not now. I'm not human. I can't live a human life._

_"They'll probably sell off the property. I should have enough time to bury them before that happens."_

_I turn onto the sidewalk and start running as fast as I can._

_..._

Meanwhile, inside the office, Integra was reviewing the footage she had collected of Danny and Seras's mission. The mission, to her eyes, had not been a reassuring affair. Daniel could work cooperatively... to an extent. He went off on his own, and engaged the enemy without consulting his superior, twice. He was arrogant, and aggressive. Like most vampires she had known, he had a natural affinity for carnage, and was well mastered in its orchestration. But she was unnerved by more than just that.

"He deliberately omitted information during the briefing." She muttered, looking over footage of Danny fighting Madame Rouge, biting her, and throwing the corpse away as she burst into flame.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what he had done, and it didn't even take a moron to figure out that through doing it, he had obtained intel that he had deliberately chosen not to inform her of.

"Perfect soldier my ass," She growled, "Still, it'll be difficult getting anything from him. Older vampires guard their secrets well, and his skill has demonstrated that he's clearly an older beast..."

"I wouldn't be so certain." Alucard whispered as he walked into the room. He wasn't wearing his tradition hat and sunglasses, instead letting his black as night, messy hair flow freely, his demonic eyes clearly seen.

"Alucard," Integra turned to your servant, "what do you know?"

The elder nosferatu smirked somewhat before delivering his piece.

"He's skilled, and talented, I'll give him that. But he's impulsive, arrogant, and extremely volatile. He get's worked up when things go wrong, is easily provoked, and is also easily caught off-guard. Characteristic traits of a newly-turned vampire."

He leant against a bookcase.

"On top of that, there's an odd thing about him. Put on the footage of his first mission, just before he jumps the wall and begins the attack."

Integra raised her eyebrow at her servant, wondering just what was going through her pet's head. She complied, and put up the footage.

There he was, running, looking about. He loaded his gun, paused slightly, then jumped.

"Play it again. Slowly..."

"Alucard, what on earth are you going on about?"

Alucard's face stretched into a wide smile, showing off his rows of sharp teeth.

"You'll see."

Integra sighed, but rewound it and did so again.

"Now pay attention to the slight pause before he jumps."

Integra watched. He paused, and his face... it almost looked like...

"Want more? Take a look at the board meeting at the Banke Hotel, just before he attacks.

Integra put up the new footage. He sat there, staring at his enemy. Seras fired and killed the man. Danny's shoulders rise slightly as he gives the order. And there it was again.

"What is he doing? What are you seeing, Alucard?"

The vampire smiled, before whispering mischievously.

"He's holding his breath."

"What?"

Alucard straightened.

"You heard me. He's holding his breath."

Integra frowned.

"Yes, I heard you, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Come on, master, use your head for once." Alucard teased.

"I'll use YOUR head for a soccer ball in a moment!" Integra barked.

Alucard just laughed. He loved doing this.

"Alright, allow me enlighten you." Alucard said, bowing in a mocking fashion.

"Vampires are the living dead. As such we do not need to do certain things humans do. One of those is breathing. Elder vampires such as myself can speak and walk and live without ever having to take a breath in. Younger vampires do this out of unconscious habit, but the only real need for us to inhale is for one reason: to take in the scent of **blood.**"

Integra's eyes narrowed at her servant, "Continue."

"Blood to a vampire is like an all-nutrient beverage mixed with the most powerful stimulant a human could ever produce. The mere scent of it gets vampires into an initial 'high' that stimulates our urge for combat and bloodshed. Although for some younger fledglings, this high is too much, and they go into a blood-drunk rampage. You recall Seras's little episode during the attack by the Valentine Brothers, do you not?"

Integra looked away, remembering the horrible sight.

"Yes. How could I forget?"

Alucard took the moment of silence as a cue to continue.

"So, moving to my point, the fact that Daniel holds his breath tells me that he has already been blood-drunk before, and is deliberately trying to suppress his natural instincts. The fact that he drinks less than a blood pack a day tells me even more that he rejects what he is. As unlikely as it may seem given his fighting skills, it is not out of the question that Daniel Cruz is exactly as young as he looks."

Integra took this in. That young? It unnerved her even more the fact that not only had he been turned that recently, at so young an age, but that she had unwittingly recruited a **child** into her organization. A child that has demonstrated himself untrustworthy, and incredibly dangerous. If he was as young as he looked, than it wasn't out of the question that the kid had serious mental issues as well.

"I looked up his name in the database. Are you surprised that I couldn't find a single record of him?"

"No." Alucard stated, flatly.

Integra pinched the brim of her nose as she felt another headache fast approaching.

"Send a servant to wake him up. I think it's time I had a little conversation with that brat."

...

"GAAAH!"

Danny burst out of his coffin with a start, panting frantically. He had a dream that his mother and father were bleeding out in front of him. They kept moaning over and over, "why couldn't you save us son?" He and his parents were then ripped apart by shadowy demonic figures, obviously vampires. And also, there were those memories.

He calmed down and slumped back in his coffin. He felt something wet on him. He touched his face below the eyes and was surprised to find out he had been crying in his sleep.

_'Why? Why now?'_

He looked at his hand, wet with his tears.

_'Why did I lose my cool back there? I was trained to be cold, precise, and merciless. So why...'_

He gritted his teeth, a familiar feeling of frustration and anger swelling up within in him.

_'Why am I letting these ridiculous feelings get to me now!?'_

He laid back, and thought about the fight. How he and Anderson exchanged blows until they came to a draw. He was strong. Unbelievably strong. He barely used any kind of special powers at all. He beat him with knowledge and sheer will.

_'If I can't even beat a human regenerator, how am I supposed to stand a chance against Baron Von Harkon?'_ He thought bitterly.

He then thought on his dreams. More and more, these flashbacks from the past he had tried so hard to bury were resurfacing. And more and more they were starting to disturb him on even deeper levels.

_'No time for foolish things like that,' _he thought to himself, _'Just push them away. Forget. There will be time to face those things after he is dead. But for now, just don't think about it. Focus on your mission. Focus on your revenge. Don't think about those days...'_

A knocking was heard at his door, and the door creeped open as a timid-looking maid stepped in.

"Um... are you awake Mr. Cruz?"

Danny sat up in his coffin.

"Yes. I am. What is it?" He asked quietly.

"S-Sir Integra would like a word with you in her office. Now."

Danny closed his eyes and groaned to himself.

_'And here it comes...'_

...

After drinking a couple of blood packets to regain some of his lost strength, Danny made his way to Integra's office at a brisk pace. Secretly, he would have wanted nothing more than to hide in a corner and just sleep this entire ordeal away, but he knew he didn't have that luxury.

He knocked on the oak door, and pushed it open slightly.

"You wanted to speak with me, Sir Integra?" He asked neutrally.

"Yes. Come in Daniel." Integra said, perhaps a bit more forcefully than usual.

_'Not good.'_ He thought.

He stepped in to find Alucard, Integra, and even Seras all present and looking right at him. Suddenly, he felt very uncomfortable. He felt like a toddler who had just been pushed into the spotlight of a broadway theatre and been told to sing something. Not a pleasant experience.

"Take a seat." Integra gestured to a chair facing her desk, a couple feet away.

Trying desperately not to show an ounce of intimidation or uncertainty, Daniel briskly moved to the seat and looked his boss in the eye with a neutral, yet somewhat expecting glance.

"Your little charade in Paris has not impressed me one bit, Daniel." She stated bluntly.

_'Tread lightly from here on out, for you are past the point of safe return.'_ Danny thought.

"Your outburst with Anderson was inexcusable! He was the exact reason I ordered this mission to be done covertly! You were to get in and get out without ANY interruption or distraction!"

She stood from her desk and leaned on her hands towards Danny.

"And what did you do? You abandoned your teammate despite orders, engaged TWO unnecessary hostiles, and nearly cost us a fortune in repairs and cover ups! Not to mention the fact that we'll have the Iscariots hounding on us for the next God knows how long!"

Danny looked away, trying to think of something to say.

_'Think fast Danny, think fast!'_

"Well?" Integra inquired.

"What have you to say in your defence?"

Danny looked up again.

"Sir, I was not aware of the foe when approaching the objective, but when I became aware of her presence, I felt it necessary to eliminate her immediately, lest she threaten the main objective."

That was a lie. Not a complete lie, but a lie nonetheless.

"And yet you conveniently failed to inform me of this detour either during the mission or the debriefing. Why?" She asked with a venomous tone.

"...Me and Seras agreed that it would be best. From the power I gauged from my opponent she seemed of the upper class of their society. I thought she would be worthy of investigating."

"And!?" She pressed further.

Danny didn't want to say. As in he REALLY did not want them to know anything of what he found out. He had spent years of planning, training, and fighting to reach this moment, and he would be damned if he told them the name of their leader, just so they could hand jurisdiction over the papists or some other organization and steal his revenge right out from under him! They couldn't be trusted. None of them could. Just like they didn't trust him...

"...And I didn't learn anything. She died before I could interrogate her properly."

Integra narrowed her eyes at the boy. If he hadn't known better he could have sworn that they were burning holes into his skull.

"Oh REALLY?" She half laughed, half snarled.

"Then how do you explain THIS?"

A screen dropped down, and Danny could feel his heart clench in his chest as she saw footage of himself draining Madame rouge for a full two seconds, before letting go and throwing her away, as she burst into flames.

"...I was hungry..." Danny fibbed.

But he knew it was over. There was no way in hell she would ever buy that. And she didn't.

"Vampires automatically absorb the memories of those they kill by draining them dry. Don't try and lie to ME, Daniel, I KNOW that you know more than you're letting on! You deliberately lied to me, and tried to conceal information vital to the operation! I want you to tell me what you know right now!" She ordered.

Danny glared at her indignantly.

"Why? So you can sell it off to the choir boys like you did here!?" He barked.

Integra slammed her hand on her desk, startling everyone except Alucard.

"THAT! Is not your decision to make, soldier!" Integra shouted back.

"They're MY memories now. Last I checked, for vampires, 'to drink blood is to take ownership of a life.'Well, those memories, those lives, they're MINE now. I see no reason why I should divulge any of it to you if I deem it unnecessary!" Danny argued.

The tension in the room became so thick that not even the sharpest blade could cut it. Seras fidgeted worriedly as she felt the sparks fly back and forth between Integra and Danny.

"If you don't tell me what you know willingly, I can always get Alucard to MAKE you talk." Integra growled.

"You can try," Daniel said in a low voice, "But I'll take half the organization down with me before that happens."

Before he could blink Alucard had his hand around his throat, and his Casull to his skull.

"Give me an excuse. I **beg** you." Alucard growled, feral smile still painted on his face.

Danny struggled in the monster's grip.

"*Grk* Let me GO you damned FREAK! I've fought too hard and too long for this to have you ruin it!"

"And what would that be?" Integra said, walking around her desk to stand before him.

"What ulterior motive did you have by joining us?"

Daniel bared his teeth defiantly. He would NOT give in to this bitch and her dog.

"Speak now, **boy**! We know your name is fake, and we know you're not the powerhouse you would have us believe you are. Whether you like it or not you're NOT leaving this mansion until I get some answers! If you flee, you die. If you stay silent, you die, and Alucard gets the intel anyway. The game is up, child. Time to **fold**."

Daniel felt a cold wave wash over him. It felt like something he hadn't felt in ages. Something he had either ignored, suppressed, or denied every time he felt it: **fear.** Fear of losing. Fear of dying. Fear of being beaten by these people, who were supposed to be nothing more than stepping stones towards a larger goal. And the worst part of it was, that despite all his anger, all his strength, all his desire to rip them to pieces, or die in a blaze of glory, anything to deny these people a victory, out of sheer, pure **spite**...

He knew he had lost.

"... You want to know the real reason why I joined you?"

He wouldn't look any of them in the eye. He just hung there, head down, limp, void of any will or effort. His voice filled with a bitter, cold, venomous tone that could have sent shivers down Alucard's spine.

"It wasn't for safety. Or shelter. I didn't want any sort of charity. I just wanted to kill as many vampires as I could..."

Integra narrowed her eyes.

"Why!?" She barked.

Daniel looked up at her, and for a brief moment, Integra was reminded of how sinister, how cruel, how unnervingly evil those eyes could be.

"Look at me. Why. Do. You. THINK!?" He spat.

"I gave you a false last name. When you have the time, look up 'Daniel Crusnikov.' And the names of Nicolai and Anita Crusnikov. That'll get you started..." he whispered darkly.

"Who are they?" Integra asked. She didn't so much as ask, rather than order an answer from them.

"My parents," Daniel growled, "Nearly three years ago, on the sixth day of October, we came home from a dinner party expecting to go to bed after a long night. But they never went to bed..."

He paused. Alucard could feel his body trembling in his grasp.

"And they never saw tomorrow. Or the next day. Or any day since," He fixed Integra with a glare of pure anger that could unmake the Woman of Steel herself, "And five guesses as to who or **what** was responsible."

Integra didn't need to guess. She could see it all play out in front of her. A boy and his loving mother and father coming home, smiles and tire on their faces. A figure leaping from the dark. The father trying to move to protect his family. The claws and fangs tearing through flesh, blood spilling all over the floor. And through some cruel joke of fate, one survives to walk as that which destroyed his family.

Her eyes slowly widened slightly at the revelation.

"So it's true. You really are as young as look..." she said quietly, but it did not go unheard by Daniel, who was still glaring at her.

"I was seventeen when I was turned... I'm nineteen now." He growled.

"So, it's revenge then, is it?" Alucard sneered.

"I wouldn't expect any of you to understand. You LEAST of all." He snarled at Integra.

"To you this is all a job. No different from city police or the army. It's all protocols and jurisdictions and god-damn office POLITICS to you. You were born rich, and had a title handed down to you by your father. You've never had to fight for anything in your life. You've never watched the people you love get torn to pieces right in front of your eyes. You have no IDEA WHAT IT"S LIKE TO LOSE WHAT I HAVE LOST!"

He roared, taking her aback slightly.

"I lost my home, my family, my friends, my lover, even my HUMANITY! I've had to live like a rat on the streets for years, desperately hiding away so I don't accidentally KILL anyone! But it still wasn't enough! Through desperation I was forced to cheat, murder, steal and commit all kinds of heinous acts just to SURVIVE! And all the while there was only one thing keeping me going, one thing that stopped me from just giving up and dying right there!"

He shifted forward slightly, and Alucard had a heck of a time trying to hold him back.

"NOW, FINALLY, I KNOW WHO THE BASTARD RESPONSIBLE IS! AND I'LL GO TO HELL FIFTY TIMES OVER BEFORE I LET THIS KNOWLEDGE GET SOLD OFF BY YOU GODDAMN **BUREAUCRATS**!"

He twisted his body enough to slap Alucard's gun hand out of the way, and slam his left elbow into his face. When he was free, he grabbed Alucard's arm, and threw him over his back, towards Integra's desk. Integra managed to duck out of the way as Alucard crashed into the desk. Danny raced towards the exit, desperate to get out. Before he could reach the door, however, he felt something wrap around his torso, binding his arms, and someone knock into him from behind, pinning him to the ground.

"GOTCHA!" Seras proclaimed triumphantly, her shadowmatter arm wrapped around him.

"LET ME GO! I'M NOT GONNA LET IT END HERE! NOT WHILE MY NAME IS STILL DANIEL CRUSNIKOV! I WON'T LET YOU TAKE THIS FROM ME, I **WILL** AVENGE THEIR DEATHS!"

*BANG!*

He stopped dead silent when a powerful bullet impacted the ground a few inches from his face. He looked around to see Alucard, standing right over him, a very unamused look on his face, Casull smoking.

"Hold your tongue, boy." He growled.

Integra stood and dusted herself off.

"Good work, Seras." She said, relieved.

"What should we do with him, my master?"

Daniel glared defiantly, snarling and baring his teeth like a feral beast. He looked like an intimidating sight, but inside, he felt nothing but hopelessness. The last few years had been nothing but fruitless effort. Through the mafia, he had gotten all the means, but despite all the killings, the victims rescued, the hideouts raided, he had yet to get within sight of any definitive end. Then Hellsing came along, and he saw a further means, one that could get him within shooting distance of his goal.

And now, he lay helpless, defeated, and exposed. Years of planning, years of bitter struggle, years of endless pain, torment, and suffering; wasted. It was all over. Integra would have him executed, or worse, locked up until she had use for him. He was no idiot, he recognized that Integra probably controlled Alucard through some kind of black magic. Was that to be his fate? Just another tool in the box? A weapon to be used at the discretion of a foreign nation, while they sought out and destroyed his only remaining hope for closure, his only reason for living?

What a cruel, sick, twisted fucking world this was.

"Lock him in his room, and erect a barrier around it so he can't escape. Place guards at the doors and windows. I will deal with him later." Integra ordered.

Still being bound by the shadow-arm, and held at gunpoint by a smugly grinning Alucard, Danny was hoisted off the ground, and walked bitterly to his quarters, where the duo threw him inside and locked the doors.

"Rest tight, brat," Alucard jeered, "While you can."

Danny trembled in a mix of anger, fear, and sheer frustration.

In his rage he punched a hole in the wall, only to get zapped by the holy barrier that had undoubtedly been erected around the outside of the room. He then grabbed his wardrobe and threw it across the room.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" He howled in rage, before slumping to his knees in exhaustion.

He was panting heavily. His head screamed with pain he didn't even know was possible! More and more he had been getting these headaches, and the more he tried to ignore them, the worse they got.

"WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING!?" He screamed as images flashed across his vision.

The corpses of his parents, killing those two thugs in front of Dmitri, his initiation...

...

_"We're not discussing this! You kill this piece of shit, right here, right now!"_

_The man pushed the gun into my hand. It was the first time I ever held one. Immediately, I felt like I had done something horrible, like by just touching this thing, I had committed a sin..._

_"Come on Danny! What's the hold up!? It's not like you've never killed before!" Another one jeered._

_"Those guys were crooks! I won't kill an innocent man!"_

_The man brought a gun up to my head. I felt fear. A bone chilling fear. I feared for my own mortality. This guy was gonna kill me. He'd kill me without hesitation or remorse, and I'd be left to rot in this alley._

_"You listen good you little shit," he growled, the cigarette in his mouth glowing as he took a long drag, "In this business, there ain't NOBODY who's innocent. You wanna be one of us? You kill him. NOW."_

_He pushed me hard. I look at the gun in my hand, then at the man, sniveling at the end of the alleyway. I walk up to him and grab him by the back of his coat._

_"Please... Don't do this... you're not like them... please..."_

_I raise the gun to his head. The tears on his face mix with the rain._

_"Don't kill me! I'll do anything! I'll do-!"_

_The recoil catches me off guard. The blood sprays outward, everywhere, landing on my face. His head throws back and he hits the ground. I couldn't believe what I had done. I was trembling, scared, adrenaline pumped. The gun had a hair trigger, I didn't even notice I had been slowly tightening my grip the whole time._

_But all that time, I couldn't shake what had happened. This man, who I had never met, who I will never know, was begging for my mercy... and I murdered him in cold blood..._

_..._

"NO!" Danny screamed, rolling on the floor, clutching his head.

"NO! STOP IT! STOP SHOWING ME THESE THINGS!"

_..._

_The blunt end of the rifle hit me hard in my face, and I swear I felt my nose break._

_The man yells something at me in Japanese. Fucking Yakuza... making a hit on us while we're drunk... Fucking squinty-eyed limp-dick assholes!_

_"Ugh..."_

_Sayansky! My God, he's still alive! I look around me, and finally I get a bead on where we are. Some kind of warehouse... We're both tied by chains on either side of a support beam. I try to move, but I can't. I'm too weak. I haven't had any blood In two days... God I'm so thirsty..._

_"Danny..."_

_"Captain?"_

_He sounds so exhausted. What did they do to him? How long have we been here?_

_A Yakuza with a tattooed face and a bald head walks up to me, and twirls a knife in front of my face. Fucking tough-guy wannabe._

_"So, who dies first," He sneers, "You? Or your friend?"_

_..._

_I can hear them beating him. They're trying to make him talk, like they tried to make me talk. Sayansky won't talk. He's a rock. All I can do is listen as they torture him._

_"Had enough!?"_

_Sayansky is panting, gasping for breath, bleeding out from knife wounds._

_"Sayansky! SAYANSKY! Come on, just hang in there man, they'll be here soon, I know they will!"_

_The man grabs him by the hair and forces him to look at him. Sayansky, through half-open eyes, defiantly smiles, and spits blood into the eye of his interrogator._

_"Heh...heh...you guys...are SO fucked... heh...heh.."_

_*BANG!*_

_"SAYANSKY!"_

_He shot him! The bastard shot him! That cowardly murdering monster! I thrash about in my chains, desperate to get free. Sayansky is dead. He's dead. I couldn't save him. Just like I couldn't save them..._

_..._

Tears were streaming down Danny's face, as more and more of the repressed moments from his bitter past surged up like tidal waves.

"No... No... Please, no!" He moaned.

"I don't wanna remember... I don't wanna remember..."

...

_Blood. Always more blood. Sayansky's blood has finally reached me. My head is hung low. Two boots plant themselves before me._

_"Well!? You gonna talk?"_

_I feel my muscles tighten. I feel this strange power come over me again..._

_"What, you wanna die ya little punk!?"_

_He stops cold. My anger is boiling, the chains are straining to hold me. Slowly, I raise my head, and I look him right in the eyes. The blood drains from his face. He looks like he's staring the Devil in the eye._

**_"You better kill me..."_**

_Without any warning, the chains snap..._

_..._

_Dead. Dead. All dead. Every one of them. I tore the Yakuza troops to pieces. I marched into their hiding hole with two assault rifles blazing and shot everyone I saw. I set their drugs on fire, and burned the warehouse down. Their whores ran from me, as fast as they could. Not fast enough to run from bullets though._

_Yakuza, worker, bartender, slave, product, innocent, guilty... It didn't matter. Sayansky was dead. And now they would die to._

_That's when they showed up. Our backup. Too late. The mob boss nearly had a heart attack when he saw the full extent of the carnage. They rallied up survivors, now hostages, and lined them on the ground. I'm just standing here. With a gun in my hand._

_"Jesus, the info of the drug stash locations we gave them were false, just in case they were compromised. I never expected the kid to hold out..."_

_The man looks at me as I walk up to him. He's the one who gave us the intel. The orders. The fake information._

_"Uh, listen kid, heheh, look I was just-!"_

_*BANG!*_

_Now he's dead. They all look at me with horror when they see what I have done. He was one of our own. I don't know what his role exactly was. I don't care._

_I walk up to the Yakuza who interrogated us. He looks no older then twenty. Apparently, he's the son of their boss. That girl he's beside, I thought she was another whore. She's his fiancee. Go figure._

_They want to ransom them. I have other plans._

_I raise my gun to the head of the boy. He looks afraid for his life. Then, to his horror, I turn it on his girl._

_"No...NO! Don't kill! Don't kill!"_

_I look at him with complete apathy. To me, he wasn't human. This wasn't New York. This place had no meaning, no significance. These people had no names, no purposes. They were just dogs. Animals. They were nothing..._

_*BANG!*_

_He yells in horror as I shoot her. The other whores scream in terror and agony as they see what's happened._

_"WHOA, DANNY! WHAT THE FUCK, MAN!"_

_The other Russians yell at me. They raise they're guns on me, instinctively. I don't care anymore._

_I cut the Yakuza's bonds with my knife, and hold him at gunpoint._

_"Run."_

_He looks completely stupefied._

_"Run. Run like you have a chance. Run like you're life's worth something. Run you bastard..."_

_He runs. He's panting, crying, in terror. He gets farther and farther away. Not far enough._

_*BANG!*_

_I feel nothing. No emotion. No satisfaction. This was something else. Something indignant, something primal, a low level breed of carnage and massacre that couldn't even have been given the justification of calling it a war. This was nothing but death, followed by more death. Dogs eating dogs. Beasts ripping each other apart. _

_I feel nothing... but total, bottomless, darkness..._

...

Years of fighting. Years of sacrificing. Years of going through all kinds of pain and torture, years of crime and horrible acts that he would have killed himself over on any other day. Years of unending torment. All of it held back, kept in check, by one obsessively pursued goal. All the while building up like water behind a dam, threatening to burst. And now, finally, the floodgate of misery had been opened.

Danny lay curled up on the floor, trembling in terror, sobbing. The unbreakable will, the invincible soldier, beaten and broken... by himself.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." He just lay there, moaning it over and over again...

...

Seras could not believe her eyes when she finally came across the imprisoned boy. The expert assassin, the heartless killer, this ruthless mastermind who had taken Hellsing by storm, reduced... to **this.**

The front door was the only place that hadn't been shielded by the holy barrier. This was because she was meant to guard this door, and so it had to be clear for her to move in and out of the room without obstruction. After she had taken up position, she heard crashing and yelling, and decided to peer in to see what was going on. What she saw, she could never have prepared for.

"My God..." she whispered.

As she leaned in closer, she lost balance and stumbled through the door, bumping into the table. Immediately, Danny whirled around to face the intruder. Mad shock and fury were burning in his eyes as they locked with Seras's.

"Um...I..." She stuttered.

Slowly, Danny stood up, and began to stalk towards her slowly.

"**AAAAHHH!**"

Without warning, Seras felt a fist collide with her face with incredible superhuman strength. She was sent flying through the wall and over a railing, where she fell to the ground. She looked back up to see the enraged vampire lunging at her again. Reacting quickly, she jumped up and out of the way as Danny sped past her. Danny looked up as he regained his footing. Seras was standing on the ceiling, left arm turned to shadowmatter, ready for a fight.

"Danny! Listen to me! You have to calm-!"

She barely had a second to spare when Danny sent a flying kick to her position. She leapt away as the area she stood was demolished. Danny charged at her a again, letting loose with a flurry of punches and kicks, mad instinct and pure emotion driving every move. Seras parried with her shadow arm, which was acting like a protective sheet separating the enraged boy from her. Then, it happened: Danny aimed a high kick, and that gave Seras the opportunity the land a powerful roundhouse kick to his side, knocking him from the ceiling and sending him plummeting to the ground. Seras jumped after him, hoping to subdue him.

Several shadowmatter tendrils shot out from the obscured crater on the floor. Seras blocked them with her arm, and leapt back landing on the floor a dozen meters from Danny's spot. The dust cleared, revealing a feral and enraged Danny, crouched low, both arms from the upper elbow down changed into a pair of shadowmatter-based claws, each several inches long. Danny let out and enraged howl, and charged Seras, intending to rip her to shreds. Seras shifted her shadow arm into a long, scythe-like blade, and met him head on. The two dark matter weapons collided with each other, letting loose shockwaves and surges of ethereal energy with each impact. Claws raked across flesh, blades dug in deep to the bone...

When they finally broke from each other again, each was panting heavily, and riddled with deep gashes. Seras's wound were already healing back up, but Danny's were healing at a slightly slower rate.

_"Dammit! Has he completely lost his mind!?"_

_"At this point, I'd say that's not far from the truth Seras..."_

Danny couldn't see straight. He couldn't think straight. Everything had been ruined. All was lost. It was their fault. It was everyone's fault they were dead and would never rest. They were vampires. They were the enemy. Kill them. Kill them all...

He charged Seras, jumping into the air and bringing his fists together in preparation for a downward blow.

_'There's nothing left... They're all gone...'_

"THAT"S ENOUGH!"

Suddenly, they were surrounded. Hundreds of armed Hellsing troops encircled the two, weapons raised and trained on Danny. Seras leaped back to the person who issued the order. Sir Integra Hellsing stood a the edge of the circle, staring Danny down with a harsh, angered look.

"Sir Integra," Seras began, "Be advised that Danny is not in a state of mind to be negotiated with, and it is my informed opinion that anything you say to him will go in one ear and out the other."

Danny had a furious, wild look in his eyes. And yet, at the same time, he seemed tranced, out of it. Like he was fighting in his sleep. It was rage without a target, instinct without reason. He readied himself to attack again, growling like the monster he was. Integra stared harder at him.

"What does he think he's going to get away with?" She asked herself.

Alucard stepped up behind her.

"He's not thinking. That's the problem."

Seras crouched and prepared for whatever was coming.

"As far as he's concerned we're all enemies now. He doesn't care who he kills or how many he kills. He's running entirely on autopilot."

Danny readied his claws and began to move.

"ALL UNITS, OPEN FIRE!"

The Hellsing soldiers fired round after round which Danny dodged around, ignoring the soldiers and speeding towards his designated target: Integra Hellsing.

_'Cowards...Murderers... Sympathizers... Kill them... KILL THEM...'_

"This is you last chance Daniel!" Integra shouted, unfazed by the vampire that intended to annihilate her.

_'The bureaucrats... the sympathizers... the Baron... ALL MUST DIE!'_

He jumped into the air and lunged at Integra, claws and fangs bared, death following him.

Integra narrowed her eyes at the assailant.

"So be it," She snarled, "ALUCARD!"

Danny barely got sight of something out of the corner of his eye as a silver coloured gun pressed into his head.

*BANG!*

As the silver bullet passed through Daniel's skull, and his body went flying off course, heading for the ground, a single thought passed through his mind:

'_No...'_

Daniel's body slumped to the ground, blood slowly leaking out from the wound in his skull. Seras was stunned, and bitterly horrified at the sight. Why she felt that way, she couldn't explain. It wasn't as if she had met any vampires who weren't similar to him in her long lifetime. But still, vampire or not, killer or not, he was, in many ways, still only a child...

"Alucard?" Integra addressed her vampire, still training his Casull on the boy with a gunshot wound in his head.

"He still has a life left," Alucard replied, "Whether he knows about it or not, I can't be sure."

Integra nodded, knowing just what to do.

"Guards! Take him to the suspension chamber and lock him up. Keep him in hibernation until I say otherwise."

"YES SIR!" They replied, and went to work on hauling the vampire away.

...

_"Ugh... Where... where the hell?"_

_I woke up... no... that's not the right way to describe how I came to be here. I wasn't asleep, and I didn't awaken. I was shot. With a blessed silver bullet. Straight to the god-damn HEAD. I should dead right now... Am I dead?_

_I stood up... to find myself standing on nothing. I took in my surroundings and... Well, there's only one way to say it: I was in Limbo._

_Above me, clouds circulated around a single, bright light like the sun breaching through the eye of a hurricane. Below me, blackness, dotted with a few fiery lights. And in the space that separated the two, the clouds were of a black/purple-ish hue._

_"Shit... Whoa, what the fuck!?"_

_I whirl around at the sound of a voice behind me, and I swear my heart actually skipped a beat at what I saw: another man, Japanese by the look of him, wearing a poor suit, and a flaming tattoo across the left side of his face. Immediately I recognized him. He was the Yakuza I killed when I went into a blood-rage._

_But what was he doing here?_

_"What the-! YOU!?"_

_He's seen me._

_"You! What the fuck happened!? What the hell did you do to me you goddamn freak!?"_

_I stare him down._

_"Well, if I remember correctly, I broke your back, ripped open your throat, and drank your blood."_

_He just stares at me with a blank and horrified expression._

_"...Wha-...WHAT."_

_"Yeah," I reply, "and, sorry to break it to you, but you're kinda dead. And now, for some reason, both you and I are stuck in this little pocket dimension which, as far as I can tell, is a space that exists outside reality, and is sandwiched right between Heaven and Hell."_

_I look back at the guy. He looks really out of it._

_"Well, as far as _I_ can tell, anyway..."_

_"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"_

_I feel myself getting tackled to the 'ground,' as he grabs my collar and starts shouting at me._

_"YOU MOTHERFUCKING ASSHOLE! YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT NOT ONLY ARE WE BOTH DEAD, BUT NOW YOU GOT ME STUCK IN THIS FUCKED-UP LIMBO BULLSHIT TO!? YOU SON OF A BITCH! FIRST YOU KILL ALL MY BOYS AND THEN YOU GO AHEAD AND-!"_

_"_**_My, my, how loud you are._**_"_

_We both look above us to see the most horrifying sight either of us had ever seen. Descending from above, a black angel with jet-black feathered wings, with smaller bat-like ones beneath the main set, feathers falling around the form of the being. It wore a tattered black cloak and a hood that hid it's face, except for the mouth and chin, and a pair of rams horns. It's hands seemed armored, yet skeletal, and it carried a large, sharp scythe that seemed to be made of both finely honed metal, and a long human spine._

_Immediately, I knew who, and what it was. After all, I had adopted his identity for my own crusade._

_"The Angel of Death... The Grim Reaper..." _

_My voice was barely a whisper, but he heard it easily. It was not out of the question, I thought, that he may have heard me even before the words had left my mouth. A disturbing smile grew across his pseudo-demonic face._

**_"I have been wondering when I would finally see _****You****_ standing before me, Daniel Crusnikov."_**

_He rested his scythe on his shoulder, and pulled a large black book from his rode, and started looking through the pages._

**_"Hmph... It feels like it was only yesterday that your mother and father were up here facing _****their****_ judgement as well...Ah! Here we are... Oh wait..."_**

_He looked disapprovingly at us again._

**_"Oh, that's right. You're a _****Vampire****_ now. Which means you've brought a friend with you. How annoying, now we have to start _****negotiating****_..."_**

_"Negotiating!?" The Yakuza said._

_"What the fuck does that mean!? Are you saying that there's a way for me to get out of this damn limbo!?"_

**_"HA!"_**_ The Reaper spat, _**_"Not anytime in THIS century! No, this is the boy's choice to make. As your master, he can choose how he wishes to employ you, his Pawn, in this situation."_**

_Me and the Yakuza were both completely confused at this point._

_"What?" We both said._

**_"Oh? You don't know?"_**_ He looked inquisitively at me._

_I dumbly shook my head, not knowing exactly how to act or behave in this situation. I was dead, standing before the Grim Reaper himself, about to be damned (I wasn't gonna kid myself, I was Hell-bound and I knew it), and he's asking me what I know about this Yakuza bastard appearing with me at the same time as I._

_He smiled at me again, and held up his hand, taking the position of a professor about to give a lecture._

**_"For vampires, blood is the currency of the soul. The vehicle of life. Blood is the medium through which life can be transferred, and obtained,"_**

_He leaned in close to me, and I couldn't help but feel mortified._

**_"To drink blood, is take ownership of life. To drink blood, is to take the very essence of a soul from the body, and into yourself. Do you understand the full implications of this statement, Daniel?"_**

_I looked baffled for a moment, and then it clicked:_

_Raw life. A soul. I had taken a soul from it's host, and harbored it within myself. Unintentionally, but still..._

_"Y-yes. I understand..." I said, looking at the terrified Yakuza standing a few feet away from us._

_"When I drank his blood, I absorbed his soul..."_

_The Dark Angel shot a mischievous look at the crook._

**_"And thus, you obtained your first familiar. A spirit bonded to your being through a contract, made through a spell, vampiric dominance, or other method, that is forced to follow your orders and fight at your side."_**

_He stood to his full height again (Which was quite tall, by the way, he was giant even compared to Alucard)._

**_"Now, you may not know how to SUMMON said familiars once bonded to you, but even in this state of 'death' he can still do you service, boy."_**

_'Still do me service?,' did he say?_

_"What do mean?"_

**_"Geez, I have to spell it out for you?"_**

_The Angel took hold of his scythe, and leant on it lazily._

**_"Look, I'm a busy guy. Everybody who dies, it's up to me to collect the soul and bring it into Purgatory Hall in Limbo to go through primary judgement and evaluation. And a fellow dies every other day, and there's only ONE of me. It's a pretty hectic job. Now, normally, one person dies, one soul is collected, and everyone's happy. But in YOUR case..."_**

_He pointed a jagged finger at me._

**_"Being in a state of Un-Death, and having your potential, I AM allowed to let you 'live' a bit longer... IF," _**_He grinned again, _**_"You give me something in return."_**

_My eyes widen in realization of what he has just stated._

_The Yakuza looks really frightened now._

_"I don't like where this is going..."_

**_"Well, kid?"_**_ The Reaper asks._

**_"One dead boy, two souls to reap. I only need one to keep the boys at both ends pleased..."_**

_I look at the Yakuza. It was him, or both of us. My decision was easy._

_"You. Get over here."_

_"LIKE HELL I-!"_

_Involuntarily, his body began walking towards me, until he was right beside me._

_"WHAT!? WHAT THE HELL!? HOW IS THIS HAPPENING!?"_

_I look at the Angel of Death, and make my offer._

_"A soul for my life returned. Until my task is complete, I will stay on earth, and continue to offer you souls each time I die. Is this sufficient?"_

_He smiles a wild grin, before piercing the man through the stomach with his scythe. The Yakuza coughs slightly, and his eyes widen as a silver aura surrounds him, and he is lifted into the air._

**_"Most sufficient. Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Crusnikov."_**

_The scythe springs wings at the bladed point and hovers in the air, holding the soul it's tasted in it's grasp. The Angel opens his black book, and writes something down. Immediately I feel a strange pull of gravity. I look down and see a tear opening over the flames. The portal opens and I see the Earth before me._

**_"Oh, something you should know!"_**

_The Reapers calls to me._

**_"That bullet knocked you out, and the Hellsing lady has you locked up in some sort of suspension unit, so you won't be able to wake up quite yet! Also I have no idea if she's going to kill you or not!"_**

_What the fuck!?_

_"So what the hell am I supposed to do!?" I call back, as I slowly start to fall._

**_"Just... Swim around in dream land for a bit! It's about all you can do until you die again!"_**

_"YOU DAMN ASSHOOOOOOOOOOOLE!"_

_I yell as I fall..._

_..._

**_"He he he... what an interesting kid. He has no idea what's gonna happen to him though."_**

_"Doesn't matter now does it!? I'm screwed thanks to that damn vampire!" The Yakuza yelled._

_The Angel turned to his captive prey, gripping his scythe once again. He flipped through a few pages in his book before settling on one page in particular._

**_"Yakashi Takeru... Ooooooh, you have been a VERY naughty boy! I hate to break it to you, but you'd need on HELL of lawyer to even have a snowball's chance in HELL of making it out of this unscathed!"_**

_He burst into laughter at his own jokes, before scribbling down something in his book then slamming it shut._

**_"Oh, and just so you know: Not only did Daniel not know about his own power until now..."_**

_He leaned in close to deliver insult to injury._

**_"I had no obligation whatsoever to tell him!"_**

_And with that, the soul of Yakashi twisted and distorted, and was absorbed into the scythe. A small white light on one of the spinal bones._

**_"Heh... the last of the Crusnikovs' is a vampire. How ironic,"_**_ He said as he began to leave Limbo, _**_"Still, it does make things more interesting. No doubt my job will be a lot easier now that I have another 'soul bank' to ease over all the work. That boy, however, is gonna have HIS work cut out for him."_**

_He spread his wings, and began to soar out into the netherworld._

**_"The forces of darkness and light have placed all their bets on his soul. One thing's for sure: before this is over, I'll have a LOT of return investment to collect."_**

...

In a specialized holding chamber deep in the Hellsing Manor's basement , several blessed chains wrapped around the 'corpse' of a wounded vampire, each linked to a 200,000 volt electrical current, and encased in a cryogenic suspension pod. Outside a wall of bullet-proof glass, Integra, Alucard, and Seras stood watching the hibernating vampire, conversing on the next course of action to be taken with him.

"I told you it was a bad idea." Alucard muttered nonchalantly.

Integra simply ignored him.

"The wound on his head healed a while ago. So he's still... 'alive...' But what to do with him..."

"He's obviously dangerous master," Alucard said, "I say we should just kill him now, and extract the intel by force."

Integra's expression was cold as ice.

"It certainly seems like the most efficient option..."

"No."

Integra and Alucard both turned, slightly surprised. Seras had barely whispered it, but it was loud enough for both of them to hear.

"What was that, Seras?" Integra asked.

Seras didn't even look at her. She just kept her gaze fixed on Danny.

"I said, no," she stated firmly, "I'm not going to let you kill him."

Integra's eyes widened. Alucard dropped his glasses. And more than a few nearby Hellsing personnel shot surprised glances her way. Not only was this a direct and deliberate act of insubordination on her part, against Integra no less, but the fact she was sticking up for the boy who had made an attempt on her life?

As for Alucard, he wasn't sure whether he should be laughing or screaming his head off at her.

"Seras," Integra started, "Number one: you have neither the authority to make that choice, nor are you at any time allowed to talk to me like that. Number two: that boy has not only proven himself a dangerous threat, but holds secrets that Hellsing needs to combat this growing vampire threat, and number three-"

"And I don't give a damn!" Seras snapped, glaring at them.

"I'm not going to justify anything he did or has done. But I will say that you are jumping to a decision that may not need be employed."

Integra was supremely surprised. She had never seen Seras take such a stubborn and definitive stance on something, and hold her ground so firmly.

"Sir Integra," Seras looked at her boss with pleading eyes, "Let him out. Give me some time alone with him. Let me talk to him."

Alucard was in awe. This insolent little brat had ditched her, insulted her, AND attempted to kill her, and what does she want to do!? He wasn't sure whether to feel proud of her or disgusted at her naïvety.

"I know it seems crazy," Seras went on, "But I think I might be able to convince him to work with us. Just give me the chance to get to know him better -"

"You're an idiot." Alucard stated, cutting her off.

"He won't be negotiated with, you saw him back there. He has his heart and mind set on one thing, and he'll do anything to get what he wants. Do you honestly believe you can change his mind?" Alucard scoffed.

But Seras didn't waver. She just looked at him straight in the eyes, full of determination and certainty. It almost caught the older nosferatu off-guard, seeing his fledgling so certain.

Seras looked to Sir Integra again.

"Please, Sir."

Integra sighed, and looked back at the sleeping vampire. Every ounce of common sense that she had told her to ignore Seras, and have him killed on the spot.

_"You've never had to fight for anything in your life. You've never watched the people you love get torn to pieces right in front of your eyes. You have no IDEA WHAT IT"S LIKE TO LOSE WHAT I HAVE LOST!"_

Integra just stared off into space, deep in thought.

_'I have no idea what it's like?'_ She thought to herself.

Her father, dying in front of her, naming her the head of the family with his last breath. Her uncle, killed by her hand, after betraying her and trying to kill her. The Valentine brothers raid, and Seras going into a blood-rage, the Millennium invasion, and of course, Walter...

She sighed deeply to herself.

_'You have no idea how wrong you are...'_

...

_Autumn leaves dance in the wind. The afternoon sun turns a bright orange, and lights the sky with a matching hue as it prepares to set._

_I love the fall. I love running through the leaves and playing in the piles. That's why I got so excited when mommy told me we were going to the park today._

_I saw some of my friends today to! We played tag in the open field, and we're getting ready to play hide and seek. The trees and bushes make perfect cover._

_"10, 9, 8..."_

_Run! Gotta hide, gotta hide!_

_"7, 6..."_

_I hide in a bush. I can see mom and dad sitting on a bench. Dad's wearing one of his nice coats. Even from this distance I can pick him out by his jet-black hair, thick black mustache, and kind blue eyes, even from behind those glasses of his. Mom's wearing her brown hair in a bun. She looks really pretty with those new pearls dad bought her. She's always smiling, always happy..._

_Wait, who's that? That dark figure coming up behind them..._

_"5, 4..."_

**_"Feeling sentimental, are we?"_**

_Oh no... No, mom, dad, look out! Don't let him get you! I'm trying to scream, but no sound is coming out!_

_"3..."_

_He grabs my dad and snaps his neck, throwing him aside. No! DAD!_

_"2..."_

_Mom can't get away fast enough. He grabs her arm, and pulls her in close. Fangs reach to dig into her neck..._

_"1..."_

_..._

"AHHHHH!"

Danny woke up with a screaming start, panting and gasping. His head immediately experienced a burst of pain as he felt a migraine almost akin to... brain freeze?

He immediately slumped back down, feeling incredibly weak and drained, to find he was lyingon a large couch by a fireplace. Looking above it, he saw a portrait of a young Integra Hellsing, and what he assumed to be her father. She was seated beside him, both of them looking poised and proud as should be expected of the aristocracy.

Taking in the rest of his surroundings, he found that he appeared to be in some sort of library, tall bookshelves behind him holding all manner of volumes.

_"It seems that familiar sacrifice worked. And I'm still alive, that's something. But why didn't they kill me, that's the question."_

"Bout' time you woke up."

Danny flinched and whipped his head back around to find Seras sitting in an armchair to his right facing him, one leg crossed over the other, and both arms folded, fixing him with a look that he found impossible to read.

"You-!"

Danny tried to get up and fight, but found himself overwhelmed by a wave of pain and fatigue, and he slumped back down in the chair, gasping for breath as stars danced across his vision.

"I wouldn't bother with that again if I were you." Seras warned, raising an eyebrow.

"You were under cryogenic suspension for 24 hours, during which time you were you partially drained of blood, and injected with heavy anesthesia. You haven't fed in much longer than that. You have barely enough strength to stand let alone pick a fight."

Danny braced his hand against the arm of the couch, trying to sit upright.

"Why... why didn't you just... kill me?" He managed to gasp out.

"I wasn't about to let you die without getting something from you first."

Danny immediately looked up at her, angry and anxious at the same time.

"The intel?" he half asked, half snarled.

Seras frowned at him.

"An apology."

The words immediately confused Danny. He had expected torture, mind games, an interrogation of SOME variety. Not this, that's for certain.

"What?" It just slipped out his mouth.

Seras glared at him.

"Yes. For several things, in fact," She said semi-loudly, "One, for being an obnoxious ass when we first met, two, for endangering our first mission together, and three, for attacking me and trying to kill me!"

...Dumbfounded. That's what he was. Absolutely dumbfounded.

"...Heh...heh he...ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, HAHAHA!"

Danny took a deep breath, to stop himself from laughing, holding his face in his head. After a few moments, he spoke up again.

"I get it," He rasped, "So that's how you intended to do it..."

He sat up again, smiling bitterly, and staring up at the ceiling.

"First you guys starved me out, to leave me weak. You'd probably torture me a bit, taunt me, beat, remind me of how futile everything was now that my ruse was finally up. And then, when I was at my weakest, when I was void of any sense of hope and willpower, you would appear. You would shame me, appealing to my sense of honor and guilt. Afterwards you would be kind, appearing as a respite from the previous torments... and I would cooperate..."

He chuckled darkly to himself as he let his head slump and stare at Seras. His smile was cynical, bitter, and empty.

"Do you worst you filthy, wanton, prostitute of hell."

Seras's eye twitched as she got up and walked towards Danny.

"And after you're finished eating out Integra's pussy and taking Alucard's dick up your ass, you can go fuck yourself with a searing hot barbed dildo IN HELL!"

*SLAP!*

The impact was hard, and it stung. Danny was stunned. He had been hit before, and much harder than this, but there was something about the way it was done, the context of the situation, the weight of the emotion behind it, that seemed to make it hit much harder and deeper than it did.

"Don't. You. EVER. Talk like that about me," Seras growled, in a harsh, quiet voice, "You don't know a damn THING about me!"

Danny didn't look back at her. His head lay on the arm of the couch, in the direction his face had been slapped in.

"...What's to know?" He whispered, loud enough for her to here.

"You're a vampire. You're a monster. You're my enemy. There's nothing TO know about you."

Seras stood above him, hands clenched into fists.

"And what is there to know about YOU?" She retorted.

"You're a vampire. You're a monster. And you're trying REALLY hard to be MY enemy."

Danny pushed himself up, about to chew her out again, but stopped when he got a good look at her eyes.

Integra's stare could unmake the mightiest man, and render him a slave. Alucard's glare could make him want to shoot himself, and spare himself whatever fate he had in store. Danny knew for a fact he could scare off very near anyone with his look.

But Seras didn't need vampire's eye's, a killers' intent, or a commander's cool to render Danny speechless, and without nerve. All she needed, were those few tears in her eyes that she was trying her hardest to fight back.

"I've tried to work with you. I tried to understand you. I even convinced Integra not to kill you while you were unconscious..."

Danny's eyes widened.

_'She did what!?'_

"And I can tell you right now, that between meeting you and right now, I've never met anyone more bitter, heartless, cruel, and **inhuman**, than you."

The words cut into Daniel like a finely honed blade. Never before had he felt so ashamed, so unnerved, and so utterly guilty than right now. Save for one day...

He looked down, staring hard at the ground, void of any of the former fire he had.

"... But I was human once..." he croaked, "I once had a family... I was loved, and I loved in turn. I knew right from wrong, and I always did what was right... what was best..."

He avoided looking her in the eye, but looked straight ahead at the wall.

"Am I not more human than they?" He asked.

"Do my sufferings not justify my doings?"

Seras looked at him, holding her gaze on his motionless form for a moment, before moving to sit down beside him on the couch.

"And are you so selfish that you believe you are the only one who has suffered?" She asked him.

Daniel had nothing to say. For once in his life, he had no answer to the question. He had never had to question his motives, or his morals, until now. He had simply acted on a feeling, on a reaction. An emotional response. At the time, he thought the only way to achieve justice was through vengeance. But in the process... What had he become? Did he have the right to preach justice when he had committed so much injustice?

Seras bent her head to look at him, trying to catch his eye.

"Not wanting to talk yet, I see," She sighed, "So how about I do the talking first? Then when I'm done, you can tell me a little bit about you?"

Danny still stared at the ground.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked.

"Because it's what we should have done long ago," Seras replied, "So? Does that sound like a deal."

"... Sure," Danny whispered, "Whatever you like."

Shifting into a more comfortable position, Seras began to tell her story.

"It never gets any easier does it? Losing one's parents..."

Danny felt a familiar bit of pain and anguish rise up in him, but he didn't have the energy to get angry.

"Though I guess I don't know exactly what it was like for you. I never had to watch my mom and dad get ripped to pieces by a bunch of hungry vampires."

She paused to let this sink in.

"No, instead, I got to witness them get shot to death as I hid in a closet, before they tried to kill me."

The statement had been made with enough emotion to feel real, yet bluntly enough to catch the weakened Daniel off guard.

"My dad was a good cop. He was one of the best in the force. I looked up to him. He always knew what to do, and he had and unbreakable sense of right and wrong." She said sadly.

"But one time, while he was undercover, he got in too deep. And the people he was investigating, followed him back to our house. My mom heard them break in. My dad told us to hide. Mom rushed me to the closest, and told me to keep quiet. And that... that was the last they spoke to me."

She struggled a bit, as she tried to piece the words together, not noticing that Danny now had his eyes fixated on her.

"They shot them both. Kicked their corpses. Spouted profanity at them. And in that moment, I went mad. I grabbed a fork that was lying on the floor, and rushed the guy, stabbing him in the eye... and I got a bullet in my gut for my efforts..."

She gripped her knees, anger and pain radiating from her voice.

"And the last thing I ever saw of my mother, was that bastard... **humping her corpse**..."

Daniel was left utterly speechless. It was a horrible trauma, that went without saying. But it made him reflect on his own life, and the things that had happened to him...

"...You were... still human, back then?" Danny asked quietly.

Seras looked back at him.

"Of course I was. I was human for nineteen years. All through that time I spent my life in orphanages, getting picked on and harassed, acting out and being called the 'problem child'. But I turned my life around. I chose to follow in my father's footsteps, and eventually I made the force, just like him."

Danny decided to ask the question.

"How did you become a vampire?"

"I was deployed to Cheddar, to investigate some several disappearances. What me and my co-workers found, was a vampire and a den of ghouls. I was nearly raped and killed by said vampire. And then he showed up."

Danny narrowed his eyes.

"Alucard."

Seras smiled weakly.

"I... was badly wounded when it was all over. He gave me a choice: give up, and die there, or come with him, and live... and, next thing you know, here I am!" She finished with an awkward laugh.

Danny looked away and stared back into the flames.

"...It's true. We both know the pain of great loss..." The flames crackled an leapt, dancing a hypnotic dance, "But I am still very different from you..."

Seras looked at him, both sad and a little frustrated with him, before he spoke again.

"... We were coming home from a dinner party, on an October night. It had been a good night. Good food, good company... We went home, slipped off our stuff, and I went upstairs to go to bed..."

He paused, having difficulty going back to that time.

"I heard a crash... My mother screamed, and my father started shouting. I raced downstairs to see what was wrong and... there were three of them... tall... pale... teeth like sharks'... eyes like those of a demon... two of them grabbed my mother, and started tearing off her clothes, and tearing into her flesh as well. My father was trying to fight one of them off, but he subdued him, pushing him against a table. I raced at him, trying to tackle him to the ground, but..."

As Seras looked at the poor boy sitting next to her, she caught sight of a single tear rolling down his angry face.

"They tore off his arm, and slashed his torso. They bit into my mother and drained her blood. They bit me, tore into me, kicked me, beat me, and left me to die. I should've died then. I should've gone with them... but instead, **he** came along... he turned me into this...** monster**... and he was the reason behind all of it... He turned me as an insult to me and my family..."

He gritted his teeth, rage boiling up in him.

"I raced after him, I tried to kill him... but I was too weak. He beat me easily. Left me broken and bleeding... the police couldn't help. No one could... so I resorted to drastic measures..."

From then on, Danny spilled everything about his life, up and until joining Hellsing. The jobs he did for the mafia, bombing them in revenge for betraying Sayansky, and working with the vampires, donning a mask and cloak to become Death itself, and his brawl with Alucard. All the while Seras listened intently, a growing sense of awe and sad pity manifesting itself in her heart.

"I've done so much bad in my life. All of it, in pursuit of revenge against the monster who took everything from me. My parents deserve vengeance for what was done to them. And for what was done to me."

He looked at Seras, eyes full of exhaustion and heavy emotion.

"I've never talked so long about myself with anyone. So I feel I must thank you for listening this long," He said, "But our similarities end here. The difference between you and me, is that I didn't choose to become a monster."

He said the last bit with a dark intent, one that seemed to hurt Seras a bit. It was, after all, something she had struggled with every day since becoming a vampire, and thus, something she still felt a bit sensitive about.

"That's a hypocritical statement, and you know it. Had you been in my situation, you would've made the same choice."

Danny shot Seras a glare, as if he'd been insulted.

"And what makes you think you know what I'd do?"

Seras's face seemed soft and firm at the same time as she looked at him.

"I know you would, because you something to live for."

Danny half laughed and half snorted at this remark, shaking his head.

"I had everything taken from me, and I was forced into a life I had no control over. The life of a vampire... to drink blood, steal souls, and kill for survival, to dominate others and make darkness my home... to live in such a way is a disgrace to everything my mother and father stood for. Vampires are a disgusting plague... and the only good I am worth as one is in the number of their kind I have killed."

He lay back into the couch, staring back up at the ceiling.

"I'm a monster. An abominable parody of the happy, kind, and gentle person I was. The longer I live on this earth, the more a threat to humanity I am. Everyday I risk losing control. I might accidentally start a ghoul pandemic, or even worse, sire another vampire. Monsters like me have no place in this world, and the only thing that's allowing me to walk on it's surface, is the oath of vengeance I made to my parents."

They were so similar, and yet so drastically different. Both of them, victims of tragedy, and given a gift of terrible power. Both eventually finding their way to Hellsing. But how they emerged from their respective pasts, and evolved into the people they were now, was a matter that was completely different for each.

For Seras, she was simply trying to make the best of a miserable situation, no matter how uncomfortable it got. For Danny, it was all about revenge and retribution, to obtain justice for the crimes dealt against him. Had they met in different times, under different circumstances, would they have become friends?

Seras couldn't help but feel terribly sorry for the boy seated beside her, and at the same time, a little bit afraid for him, for what might happen to him in the future. Before she asked her next question, she found that she had to mentally prepare herself for whatever response he would give.

"So... say that you do find this man... and you kill him... and you've beaten and broken him, and gotten your revenge... what then?"

It was a question Daniel was prepared for, but one he had never come up with an answer for. No... he had an answer... but he was afraid of speaking it out loud... but in the company of Seras, this vampire that he had only known a short time... he felt strangely comforted, and at ease, and he couldn't help but think;

_'Here is someone I can finally be honest with_...'

He smiled a sad, pained smile as he looked at her.

"There is nothing that comes after. My purpose on the Earth will be fulfilled. The only thing waiting for me afterwards... is death."

He stared off into space.

"A cold, empty darkness, devoid of all thought and consciousness... A respite from the pain until I face what's coming to me. And hopefully, before my fate is sealed... I may see **them** again..."

Seras stood up, to the surprise of Danny, and stood in front of him.

"I sincerely wish I could convince you otherwise," she sighed, "but I don't suppose I can. I doubt I'd do much different were I in your shoes. But Danny, know this: even in the darkest places, there is some good that can be found."

As if on cue, her left arm reformed into shadowmatter, and dozens of tendrils began to extend from the arm, and coalesce into a definitive form while Danny watched in fascination. Eventually, the shadowy texture of the substance dissipated, leaving only a red aura around the being, and a few tendrils connecting it to Seras. There stood a man, in full military gear, wearing a brown jacket, a cowboy-style hat with the left side flap folded up, and an eyepatch over the left eye. He had his hair in a long braid, and a cigarette in his mouth.

"What the..." Danny whispered.

The being smirked.

"What? Never seen a ghost before?" It mocked.

"WHAAA!?" Danny freaked, leaping back slightly.

"WHO!? WHAT!? HOW!?" He exclaimed pointing at the thing.

"Danny, relax!" Seras laughed slightly, trying to calm him down.

"This is Pip, my familiar."

"*Cough*Formerlover*Cough*" Pip coughed, causing Seras to blush heavily.

"H-HEY! ENOUGH WITH THAT YOU-!" She yelled, waving her fist at him in a childish fashion.

Danny, just sat there, flabbergasted, staring at this strange entity.

"Oh... so... this is a... familiar..." He stuttered out.

_'Dear God, that is the creepiest thing I have ever seen in my entire life!'_ He thought to himself.

Seras straightened herself out before turning to him again.

"Yes, anyway... As I said, you can find friends and allies in unusual places. That's how I first met Pip. And even after dying the two of us have become closer than ever."

"In more ways than one-OW!"

Pip was interrupted from his definitively dirty thoughts when Seras stomped on his toe, hard.

"Ow, ow, OW! What was that for!?" He moaned.

"YOU KNOW BLOODY WELL WHAT, YOU PERVE!"

Danny blinked several times. The sight was just so utterly ridiculous in the context of the situation! But at the same time, deep within himself, Danny could find merit in their words. He couldn't help but find himself deeply fascinated with Seras. She had gone through terrible tragedy, and life-changing events, and yet still seemed to remain inherently childish, and happy. He couldn't help but feel a slight pang of jealousy from this fact.

"Hey, kid."

Danny was snapped out of his trance when he realized the French mercenary called Pip was addressing him.

"You'd do well to listen to the migonette. She's a lot brighter than she seems."

_'Migonette?'_ he thought to himself.

"No matter how personal things get, wars can't be fought alone. And chances are, your enemy is someone else's enemy to."

He knelt on one knee so he was looking Danny straight in the eye.

"So instead of playing the lone warrior, why don't you try working with Seras and Integra?"

Daniel immediately tensed up, and this didn't escape Pip as he smirked and laughed.

"I know, I know, it's not the most appealing thing, working for that lady. But think of it this way" He puffed on his cigarette, "You want to take this guy down, and so do they. Despite earlier events, Integra's a lady who doesn't back down easily. Once she sets her sights on an objective, nothing can stand in her way. Not even the Iscariots."

He let this sink in before continuing.

"You want this man dead. They want the man in charge dead to. So instead of fighting everyone at once, try showing a little faith, and help **them** help **you**." He finished, puffing a ring of smoke in his face.

Pip then stood up, and his form started to dissipate.

"Well, that's all I have for you. Think about it before you make your next move, Danny..."

He vanished and turned into shadow matter, which reformed into Seras's arm.

"We don't want to be your enemy Daniel," She said to him, "We want to help you. But have to trust us. After all, we put our trust in you, didn't we?"

There were no words to describe how the boy felt in that moment. Empty and enriched, afraid and inspired, angry, sad, and somehow, bitterly happy, all at the same time. He had no idea what to do. He didn't even have enough energy to cry anymore. He just sat there, lost in thought, incredulous at the recent events.

He had treated her so badly, and showed nothing but contempt for her from day one. He had treated her the same way he treated any other vampire; as an enemy. Yet here she was, at his side, just talking with him. He had never trusted anyone with the secrets of his life besides Sayansky, who had been his mentor and friend for a time. There was no scorn from her, no interrogation, no spite. She simply treated him... as a person.

Could it be he had been wrong about everyone at Hellsing? About her, about Alucard? About Integra? Especially Integra... How hard must it be, to command a secret organization dedicated to vampire extermination, to command the trust and loyalty of thousands of soldiers, and be utterly impotent to comfort their families when they died? To be able to provide no explanation in regards to the truth? To have the weight of letting them down, and being partially responsible for them on her mind?

For years he thought he could handle it. He thought he could do everything on his own. He thought if he did, not only would he be spared the pain of further loss, but also protect others from being hurt as a result of their affiliation with him.

... Maybe it was time that changed.

"... Do you think... you could give me some time to think it over?" He asked quietly.

Seras smiled an understanding smile.

"Of course." She said quietly, before turning walking up to him and placing something beside him.

It was a transfusion pack, Type O negative.

"Take all the time you need." She turned and walked towards the door.

"...Seras?" Danny called out to here.

"Yes?" She called back, turning her head.

"I'm sorry... I'm really sorry... about everything..." He said with deep sincerity.

"I misjudged you. I was prejudiced against you because of what you were, and I was unfair to you... I shouldn't have treated you the way I did... and I shouldn't have attacked you like that..."

In the doorway, Seras smiled to him.

"Apology accepted, Daniel."

She closed the door behind him, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

Tearing off the plastic covering the tube, he began to drink the blood given to him...

* * *

**A/N: I find that compelling OC's are ones that not only fit within the mythos, but share connections with and help develop the already established characters. OC's give us fresh insight into a work from an outsider's perspective, and through their unique personalities and backgrounds, they can reveal deeper meaning and depth about the story.**

**In CotN, each of Hellsing's cast is a mirror image of Daniel himself. Seras went through tragedy like him, but she chose to recognize that her situation wasn't likely to get any better or worse than what it was at the moment, and so she chose to make the best of her situation. Daniel, in his mind, feels that anything that happened to him, he needs to get payback from the world, more accurately from the ones who wronged him. He hasn't chosen, or recognized the need to adapt to make his own life better, because he doesn't believe it will be any better.**

**Anderson, like Danny, has a very definitive sense of right and wrong, and of what is just. Unlike Danny, he's learned to recognized that the lines between the two are grey, and the just choice isn't always obvious.**

**And Alucard... Well, I intend to get to that. The next few chapters will see dramatic changes in Danny's character as he's forced to make difficult choices. In addition, secrets from his family history that he didn't even know will come to light, and they will catch the attention of a certain No-Life-King.**

**Stay tuned!**

**REVIEW! FOLLOW! FLAME!(please don't do that last one, but by all means give me constructive criticism).**


End file.
